A summer program that provides food to those in need is seeing record demand. United Way Windsor-Essex Chatham-Kent says demand for their Summer Eats for Kids program is climbing at a staggering pace, highlighting the growing financial pressures that local families are facing. Just halfway through the summer, the program has already distributed about 1,765 food bags - roughly 10 per cent more than at the same point last year. Every Summer Eats location has reached capacity each week, with hundreds of families lining up for food, and many locations running out of the bags in less than an hour. The Summer Eats for Kids program provides families with healthy groceries, including fresh fruits and vegetables, snacks and other essentials while school meal programs are unavailable during the summer. Children also receive free books to help prevent learning loss during the break. Jennifer Soulliere, Director of United Way’s Ignite Academy and educator, says the need this summer has been impossible to ignore. “We’ve seen this year just a tremendous growth in the need in our community. We know it’s already more than 10 per cent than we did last year. And each week we’re running out of bags. Unfortunately, we have lineups and then at the end of almost less than an hour, oftentimes these bags are handed out to families in need.” She says they anticipated demand would increase because of rising grocery prices. “We’re handing out between 600 and 650 bags a week, which is what we can do right now. We expected it. Of course, you’re going to the grocery store, I’m going to the grocery store, we all know prices are going up and just the economic climate that we’re in. We did expect to see demand go up, which is why we’ve done our best to try to get more in the bags.” Soulliere says while the program is centred around schools, anyone in the community who needs help is welcome. “We’re giving out books, we’re giving out prizes for literacy during the summer, but also anybody can pick up a food bag. There are lots of families accessing it, but there are seniors... anybody in our community is able to access this. And we know that a family also looks very different.” United Way says fundraising is continuing throughout the summer to help meet the demand, with every donation staying local to provide food and books for families across Windsor-Essex. Weekly food pick-up will be available until August 20th on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The program runs at six locations in west Windsor, downtown Windsor and Leamington. Food bags can be picked up on Tuesdays at General Brock Public School, Prince Edward Public School, and St. Louis Catholic School. Food bags can be picked up on Thursdays at Frank W. Begley Public School, Dougall Avenue Public School, and West Gate Public School.
