in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 18 ,2 02 1 | 10 utive director of Food4Kids Halton, of how community partners have stepped up to the chal- lenge. 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,food assistance, she said,f the food items are discreet- ly tucked into the back- pack of students -- so that they don't come home to "empty cupboards" on the weekends with very little food in the household.food in the household.f "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. While fundraising events for Food4Kids have taken a hit with the pan- demic, Oakville's Peter Moorhead -- a local Tim Hortons franchisee -- came through with about $51,000 last year through the Smile Cookie cam- paign, in which all the pro- ceeds from the cookie sales go to local charities. "Everybody has the im- age of Oakville as a more affluent area, but there's still a need in our commu- nity," he said. "Seeing how much they were doing and still not being able to meet the true need of the com- munity from a food securi- ty standpoint really moti- vated us to work with them for the past couple offor the past couple off 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 ev- ery 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." Brandon Parkes is among other 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 fa- cility to pack food, raising awareness about the per- sistent hunger problem and holding numerous food drives -- the last be-food drives -- the last be-f ing 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, essentially 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 real- ly nice way to finish off the year." In Burlington, the orga- nizer of a popular annual event has been raising funds for Food4Kids forfunds for Food4Kids forf 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 thefour-year run. While thef event was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, talks are ongoing to bring it back this year. Weese said many localWeese said many localW 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 fundrais- ing," she said, making it even more important to support local charities and to continue to build a posi- tive community. Also supporting Food4Kids -- as well as other causes -- is Doug Lounsboury, a volunteer with Georgetown's Kiwa- nis Club, which runs the Georgetown Craft Beer Festival with other local service clubs. The pandemic has been very difficult for many families, he said.families, he said.f "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," said Lounsboury. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With food insecu- rity continuing to be a problem in Halton, we explored one organiza- tion's efforts to eradicate child hunger, and the col- lective support it has re- ceived 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 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) Love Local is a series that explores the vital role local- ly owned businesses play in our communities. 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.