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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 18 ,2 02 1 | 12 utive director of Food4Kids Halton, of how community partners have stepped up to the challenge. The charity organiza- tion provides healthy food packages to hundreds of kids in more than 90 schools across Halton ev- ery Friday. To avoid stigmatizing any children that need food assistance, she said, the food items are discreetly tucked into the backpack of students -- so that they don't come home to "empty cupboards" on the week- ends with very little food in the household. "Before COVID, we were already experiencing a high demand for our ser- vices. We were adding ap- proximately 16 children per month to our pro- gram," she said. When the pandemic hit, "our num- bers just skyrocketed with so many families needing support." "We have not turned away any child through this whole pandemic, and that is due to the communi- ty coming together," she added, whether it's the vol- unteers or donors. Among those helping fight child hunger is Doug Lounsboury, a volunteer with Georgetown's Kiwa- nis Club, which runs the Georgetown Craft Beer Festival with other local service clubs in support of Food4Kids and other chari- ties. The pandemic has been very difficult for many families, he said. "Hearing the number of kids in Georgetown and Acton that needed the (food) assistance was as- tounding," said the insur- ance business owner. "Our sense of communi- ty ... is what's going to get us through this," he said, whether it's looking after the neighbour down the street or local businesses making sure that the com- munity cause has volun- teers and funding. "There are so many peo- ple in this community that do such wonderful things," he said. Brandon Parkes was al- so among those recognized by Food4Kids for going "above and beyond." The Milton father of three, who is a consultant at IG Wealth Management, has donated money and time for the past four years by volunteering at the facil- ity to pack food, raising awareness about the per- sistent hunger problem and holding numerous food drives -- the last being on Christmas. "Every Sunday night for about five or six weeks leading up to Christmas, I would just drive around all night on Sunday and pick up all the bags" for Food4Kids, he said. He also opened up his garage for people to safely drop off their donations, es- sentially turning it into a makeshift distribution and storage centre. "We got food, we got gift cards, and tons and tons of deliveries from people," he said. "That was just a really nice way to finish off the year." In Burlington, the orga- nizer of a popular annual event has been raising funds for Food4Kids for years. E-A-T, which usually runs in September, takes participants on a walking culinary tour to a number of neighbourhood restau- rants to sample various dishes. Part of the ticket sales go toward Food4Kids. Andie Weese, one of the event co-ordinators, said that they have raised more than $10,000 during its four- year run. While the event was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, talks are on- going to bring it back this year. Weese said many local charitable and non-profit organizations are strug- gling from the impacts of the pandemic. "There were a lot of missed opportunities in terms of their fundraising," she said, making it even more important to support local charities and to con- tinue to build a positive community. While funding events have taken a major hit dur- ing the pandemic, Oak- ville's Peter Moorhead, a local Tim Hortons franchi- see, came through with $51,000 for Food4Kids last year through the Smile Cookie campaign. "Everybody has the im- age of Oakville as a more af- fluent area, but there's still afluent area, but there's still af need in our community," he said. "Seeing how much they were doing and still not being able to meet the true need of the community from a food security standpoint really motivated us to work with them for the past cou- ple of years." Realtor James Stanley, another longtime donor in Oakville, said he's worried about the lasting effect that food insecurity could leave on children. That's why he tries to support as many kids as possible every year. "We only get our child- hood once," he said. On the importance of giving back he said, "If you put others first, you'll nev- er be second." STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With food insecuri- ty continuing to be a prob- lem in Halton, we explored one organization's efforts to eradicate child hunger, and the collective support it has received from local busi- nesses. #LOVELOCAL Continued from page 1 SUPPORT REMAINS STRONG THROUGH PANDEMIC 88% employ members of the community 41.2% provide internships/training for young people 44% host/sponsor events in the community 73.9% use products or materials from other local businesses 38.5% sponsor a sports team 83.8% donate goods and services to local charities/causes 36.3% provide leadership and support 72.9% provide financial donations to local charities/causes How Small Business Owners Support Communities 0.8% I do not contribute to my community Source: CFIB, 2019 National Retail Sector Survey of 1,663 small retail business owners across the country from Nov. 11 to 25, 2019. Metroland graphic SCAN FOR MORE SMALL BUSINESSES 'LIFEBLOOD' OF LOCAL ECONOMY Studies show money spent at locally-owned businesses recirculate throughout the community, offering a lasting benefit to its residents. DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES A MEASURE OF COMMUNITY'S VIBRANCY When Main Street businesses thrive, that success extends to all areas of a town's economy, and ultimately helps local groups and organizations. SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL Countless small businesses across Ontario have closed up shop during the pandemic, and the future looks bleak as COVID restrictions continue. Source: Kawartha Chamber of Commerce Metroland graphic WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?$100 $100 LOCAL INTERNATIONAL CORP $45 stays within community $9 stays within province The resT goes to the corporation and out of country $14 stays within community (mainly payroll) "We have not turned away any child through this whole pandemic, and that is due to the community coming together." - Gayle Kabbash, executive director of Food4Kids Halton Love Local is a series that explores the vital role local- ly owned businesses play in our communities.