University Group Donates Thousands Of Pounds Of Food, Dartmouth Company Supplies The Bags
DARTMOUTH – Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the economy and everyday life as we know it, there’s been a greater need for food programs in the HRM. One such program, Square Roots, has given out thousands of pounds of fruits and vegetables across the city since the pandemic started.
Square Roots, which is run by volunteers out of Saint Mary’s University, has five locations where people in need can pick up a fruit-and-vegetable bundle on a weekly or biweekly basis. One of the busiest pick-up spots is the Fairview-Clayton Park location, which handed out more than 10,000 pounds of produce in the first month of the pandemic.
“People who would never have used a food bank prior (to the pandemic) now have two people in a household without any income, other than what the government is going to supply,” said the Fairview-Clayton Park location manager, Yvonne Noel.
Noel estimates that 250-300 families have been getting produce at her location, which operates every Saturday. Being so busy had caused a big problem: where would Square Roots get enough plastic bags to bundle the produce with?
After a callout on social media for plastic bag donations, a packaging manufacturer in Dartmouth answered the call.
Farnell Packing Ltd. considers itself fortunate to still be a striving business during the pandemic. They are still producing plastic packaging material 24/7, as their demand for their products has increased.
“The retail food market… has come under increased demands; panic buying at times…so the demand has gone up quite substantially. We’re actually, at this point in time, busier than we ever have been,” said company CEO Bill Morash.
“We are very fortunate to be able to work at this point in time. There’s a number of individuals out there struggling.”
Due to their corporate fortunes, Farnell’s has gone above and beyond to give back to the province. Not only are they supplying the Fairview-Clayton Park location with their plastic bag needs, but they have also given bags to food banks across Nova Scotia.
“One of our corporate values is to work for the greater good,” said Morash.
Noel is extremely grateful for the plastic bag donation. With Square Roots needing to use all of their monetary donations for buying fruits and vegetables, this is one less expense.
“I didn’t want to spend money on something like plastic bags… (Farnell’s) were so great about it,” said Noel.
“There are so, so many people in need, and we can’t continue to provide it unless we have funds… We’ve been fortunate to keep getting donations. We’re still looking for more and more.”
Not only does the Square Roots program provide fruits and vegetables to hungry people, but it also supports the Nova Scotia economy by buying produce from the Annapolis Valley. On top of that, it buys a lot of produce that would otherwise go to waste because it’s not “cosmetically” suitable for major grocery stores.
Even though more people are financially stable since the federal CERB money started pouring in, the Square Roots program is still busy every weekend. The project comanager, Hannah Tibbet, wants people to know the program is for everyone and it operates without judgment.
“We put absolutely no limitations on the free vegetable program,” said Tibbet. “We want to reach out to everyone who has identified themselves as in need. And if you think you need fresh food, then we agree with you.”
“I don’t think people understand the spread of food insecurity among the population. Since this has started, we realized there have always been people there that could use this free vegetable service.”