Popularity of Fresh Food program soars

Demand for the fruits and vegetables offered through the Halton Fresh Food Box program has grown so dramatically since it was launched two years ago the organization is opening a new packing site in Halton Hills. Fresh Food Box co-ordinator Brenda Moher said the new location where the produce will be packed into boxes for Halton Hills and Milton residents will begin operating in January at the Georgetown Christian Fellowship Church. Volunteers are needed to help at the site the fourth Tuesday of every month. Currently the boxes of produce, which are sold to participants in the program for $15 for a family size, and $12 for a single size, are packed in the organization's Burlington location. They are delivered to drop sites for pick-up once a month. Each box is full of fresh vegetables and fruit, as much as possible grown locally. If not local produce, organizers try to ensure it is from Ontario. The goal of the Fresh Food Box program, funded by both Halton Region and the Ontario Ministry of Health, is to encourage Halton residents to eat more fruits and vegetables, and support local farmers. The produce in the boxes is approximately 60 per cent cheaper than it would be in a grocery store. When the program was launched there were 160 boxes going out each month. Today a total of 425 boxes are delivered throughout Halton with more than 200 of those going to Halton Hills and Milton residents. Of those 200, Moher said, 90 per cent go to Acton and Georgetown residents. She said the second packing location will allow the organization to double its capacity. Currently they are not able to offer any more boxes despite a waiting list to purchase the boxes. The only change Halton Hills-area residents will notice as a result of the new packing site will be their box pick-up day will change from the third Tuesday to the fourth Tuesday of every month. Moher said the program is currently recruiting volunteers to help out at the Georgetown site from approximately 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of every month. Volunteers can help out with packing the boxes, delivering them to the drop sites, quality assurance and preparing snacks for the volunteers. She said volunteers receive lunch. Volunteer drivers are also needed each fourth Tuesday afternoon to drive the organization's cube van and deliver the boxes to the drop sites. Those volunteers need a valid driver's licence and the ability to lift approximately 25 lbs. A volunteer orientation session is set for January 9. Anyone interested in volunteering is asked to call Moher at 905-6348645.