Hamilton Day adds food drive to stock community fridges

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Published November 3, 2022 at 4:57 pm

At least 15 businesses are supporting a food drive that will take place during Hamilton Day, an annual event created to perk up the city’s economy.

The drive is intended to help stock Community Fridges HamOnt, which has three fridge/pantry locations in the city where people who are facing food insecurity can get what they need. Hamiltonians can also leave donations at any time of day.

Community Fridges has shared a map of the locations that will be accepting nonperishable donations on Saturday (Nov. 5). Most of the participating businesses are downtown, but there are locations across Hamilton.

Donation suggestions include:

  • Canned and dry goods (such as beans, pasta, pasta sauce, soup)
  • Shelf-stable milk and dairy alternatives
  • Juice boxes, water bottles, nutrition drinks
  • Cookies, crackers
  • Coffee, tea, sugar
  • Condiments, sauces, spices, spreads
  • Menstrual and dental supplies (unboxed and individually sealed is okay)
  • Baby formula, diapers
  • Pet food

The concept of Hamilton Day dates to the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and over dozen neighbourhood BIAs (business improvement associations) brought it back in 2021 as independent retailers who were hard-hit by pre-vaccine rollout COVID-19 health protections tried to recover.

Of late, many Hamiltonians have been affected by an affordability crisis across Canada, which has seen food price inflation help drive the overall inflation rate to three-decade highs. Last month, the national rate of inflation was 6.9 per cent, which means many middle and lower-income Hamiltonians and their families are likely getting less bang for their bucks.

The three Community Fridges HamOnt locations are in the neighbourhoods of Beasley (249 John St. N.), Crown Point (204 Ottawa St. N.) and Gilkson (44 Greendale Dr.).

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