Thousands of dozens of eggs among farmers' gifts to those in need

Farmers dig deeper to feed less fortunate Egg farmers donated 18,000 dozen eggs to food banks this month. CTV London's Scott Miller on sharing the bounty.

Ontario farmers are amongst those digging deeper and sharing their bounty with the less fortunate this holiday season.

An assembly line of volunteers made quick work of loading the most recent shipment -- 255 dozen eggs heading to the Salvation Army in Listowel.

“It’s good, it’s fresh, it’s local. We want to do as much of that as we can for the people we are serving,” says Gwyneth Woods, family service manager at Listowel’s Salvation Army. “Absolutely we need the canned goods, but we want that fresh food out there too."

Thanks to the Egg Farmers of Ontario and local egg producer, Tonya Haverkamp, this most recent shipment of donated eggs will reach food bank users in time for Christmas.

The Egg Farmers of Ontario donate 9,000 dozen eggs to food banks across the province each month, but have added another 18,000 dozen since May.

“We try to donate as much as locally as we can during the holiday season, and the rest of the holidays like Thanksgiving. It’s when families gather and it’s good for them to eat good, fresh, nutritious food,” says Scott Brookshaw, the president of Gray Ridge Egg Farms.

It’s not just egg producers donating from the farm to food banks this time of year. Dairy, beef, pork, poultry and produce farmers are all sharing their bounty during this increased time of need.

“The staple foods, the ones that give good protein, natural protein. It’s a great way to start your day, a great way for people that normally don’t have the opportunity to have a good quality breakfast or meal, to now be able to have that,” Brookshaw adds.

As is the case across Ontario, the need for donated food is rising, as more and more people are using Listowel’s numerous food banks.

“As we hit the almost two-year mark of the pandemic, we’re seeing a very big increase. Our Christmas distribution is up 35 per cent, and I know that is not unique to Listowel,” says Woods.

This shipment of eggs won’t totally fill that void, but it helps.

“Over the past few years, $250,000 worth of eggs (were) donated to food banks and Salvation Armys from the Egg Farmers of Ontario. It’s a great way for farmers to give back to their communities, and to show they care about what’s happening in their communities, too,” says Brookshaw.