Peterborough’s “Porch Pirates for Good” will once again be visiting city porches this fall to help restock the ever-dwindling shelves at Kawartha Food Share.
Residents are asked to leave a bag or box of non-perishable food items on their front porch this Saturday morning (October 24). Beginning at 9 a.m., volunteers will drive around the city to different neighbourhoods, collect the donated items, and deliver them to the Kawartha Food Share warehouse.
Organizers are asking people to mark the donation as being for Porch Pirates for Good so volunteers can easily spot it from the street. Flyers that can be attached to the donation are being distributed his week, or else you can just attach your own sign or other marking.
While any non-perishable food items are appreciated, items in the greatest demand include peanut butter, canned tuna, canned vegetables and canned fruit, pasta and pasta sauce, breakfast cereal, and canned soup and canned stew.
Other needed food items include individually packaged school snacks for children (such as apple sauce, fruit cups, and chewy bars) and gluten-free items like pasta, cookies, and oats. Non-food items that are needed include feminine hygiene products.
Instead of donating food, you can also help by making a monetary donation. Volunteers will be able to collect cheques on October 25, or you can donate online at kawarthafoodshare.com.
Kawartha Food Share is also still looking for volunteers to help distribute flyers to mailboxes and collect donations on the day of the food drive. If you’re interested in helping out, email porchpirates@kawarthafoodshare.com.
In the last six years, the Porch Pirates for Good food drives have brought in over 190,000 pounds of food and over $20,000 in monetary donations.
“The number of clients using food banks across Canada has reached an all-time high,” reads a media release from Kawartha Food Share. “The rising cost of food and supply chain shortages have affected Kawartha Food Share clients, donors, and their own purchasing power. The most vulnerable in our community need our support.”
According to Feed Ontario’s latest Hunger Report published last December, more than one million Ontarians used a food bank in 2024-25 — an increase of 87 per cent since 2019-2020 — and made a record-breaking 8.7 million visits, with 35 per cent of food bank users new or first-time visitors.
Kawartha Food Share is a central collection and distribution warehouse that partners with 37 member agency food banks, food cupboards, and other food action programs in the city and county of Peterborough.
More than 35 per cent of the 14,000 people Kawartha Food Share feeds every month are children, with the non-profit organization also providing nutritious snacks for 51 area school breakfast programs helping over 17,000 children get a healthy start to their school day.
