Business Cares Food Drive launches as demand for help surges in London

CTV London’s Reta Ismail with the Business Cares Food Drive as it kicks off its 26th annual campaign.

The Business Cares Food Drive kicked off its 26th annual campaign Thursday morning at RBC Place, with organizers warning that the need for support in the London community continues to rise.

Campaign chair Wayne Dunn said demand has grown dramatically in recent years.

“This being the 26th year, I’ve seen a steady increase… it’s unbelievable. It’s up 2 per cent over this time last year. That doesn’t seem like a lot, but that’s on top of 50 per cent over the previous two years,” Dunn said.

The initiative relies heavily on volunteers, particularly during its busiest weekends.

“It is all volunteers. And this weekend, particularly at these grocery stores, 1,000 volunteers. And I need some of them throughout the campaign,” Dunn added.

Students from The Grand Theatre’s High School Project performed seasonal songs at the launch, helping set the tone for what organizers hope will be another strong year of giving. Last year, the food drive collected a record 683,000 pounds of donated food.

This year’s campaign will again emphasize financial donations, which give the London Food Bank the flexibility to purchase essential items such as fresh produce, milk, eggs and baby food.

Jane Roy, co-director of the London Food Bank, said the organization is seeing an unprecedented number of families seeking help.

“Over the last two months, we’ve seen over 6,100 families a month over 17,000 individuals. And that’s directly at the food bank or satellites. It doesn’t even include all the other agencies. The need is growing,” Roy said.

Bell Media’s CTV, Virgin Radio and Pure Country crew will be at Food Basics at 509 Commissioners Rd W, London on Saturday and Sunday collecting donations.

More information about how to donate or volunteer is available at businesscares.ca.