St. James United Church, Etobicoke, Ontario -- Food Basket

St. James Food Basket

Pictured at the left are four of the people you will meet including Barb, our Registration Coordinator, Nellie our Volunteer Coordinator, Vanessa our Assistant Coordinator and Judy our Coordinator.

Each Wednesday since February 2007 volunteers set up the St. James Food Basket in the St. James United Church Fellowship Hall. Working with the Daily Bread Food Bank, Second Harvest and local suppliers, we provide perishable and non-perishable food items and sundries to individuals and families in need. We provide legal and tax clinics, as well as make referrals to other agencies in a way that respects the dignity of each individual. Our volunteers come from a wide variety of places, some are also participants receiving food. New participants are screened and assisted according to income and family size. They come from every walk of life and as a result of a variety of circumstances. We serve senior citizens, new Canadians, individuals receiving social assistance, the homeless and families that are simply down on their luck. We seek to provide a positive, relaxed environment providing an opportunity for participants to sit, chat and share a cup of coffee, bowl of soup or whatever we have on hand. We also have a community garden that provides fresh seasonable vegetables.

We are open every Wednesday from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

ADVOCACY
Our role in advocacy is on three levels:
• Micro: in working with participants, we find out what their issues are and try to connect them with the appropriate service.
• Mezzo: we are an active participant with local agencies and organizations to improve our community.
• Macro: We advocate with all levels of government to address the issues that affect our community and population.

SERVICE AREA
We serve individuals and families in need in central Etobicoke bounded by Bloor Street in the South, Eglinton in the North, Kipling to the East and the Etobicoke Creek to the West. In 2008, we provided food for 17, 205 individuals.

DONATIONS
Donations of all kinds are greatly appreciated. We have room for storage, including a refrigerator and two large commercial freezers. We will also arrange for donations to be picked up and brought to the Food Basket. Cash donations are used to purchase and transport fresh produce and other perishable items from the Food Terminal through the support of our former M.P, Borys Wrzesnewskyj. This means that each donated dollar can purchase the equivalent of $3.00 worth of fresh food. Other items that are needed are personal care products (toothbrushes and paste, soap, shampoo, sanitary pads, tampons, etc.), cleaning supplies, toilet paper and pet food. Please contact us by phone (leave a voice mail message at 416-622-4114)for more information about making and picking up a donation and tax receipts (please make out cheques to “St. James United Church” in care of the Food Basket).

COMMUNITY PARTNERS
The Food Basket is thrilled to have the support of the following partners:
   Bloordale United Church,
   Graceview Presbyterian Church,
   Martin Grove Baptist Church,
   the Memon Community,
   Nativity of Our Lord Roman Catholic Church,
   Rehoboth Congregation,
   Renforth Baptist Church,
   Richview United Church,
   St. Clement's Roman Catholic Church, St. Gregory's Catholic Church,
   St. Luke's United Church,
   St. Philip's Lutheran Church,
   St. James United Church and
   the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation Canada Mississauga Office.

VOLUNTEERING
In order to feed so many people we depend on the dedicated work of our many wonderful volunteers, for whom we are always thankful. We are truly blessed by their presence. If you are looking for an opportunity to serve your community, please consider filling out our Volunteer Form and submitting it to the church. We have many opportunities, for while we are only open a few hours on Wednesday, many hours go into getting ready for that day.

CRITERIA FOR RECEIVING FOOD
As mentioned above, the St. James Food Basket will serve people living between the south side of Eglinton Avenue and the north side of Dundas Street, and between the east side of the Etobicoke Creek and the west side of Kipling Avenue and we are open on only on Wednesdays between 2 and 6 pm. To register to the first time, clients will need

     • to show identification for each member of the family,
     • proof of their address and income,
     • and applicable expenses from among the following: rent or lease receipt, mortgage payment, taxes and utilities and any regular medical expenses.
     • We will also need to know of any medical conditions or allergies that require special food.

It is also important that clients bring bags or something in which to carry their food.