GFA World joins with their community to provide for citizens in need during the COVID pandemic.
Imagine if you didn’t have enough money to put food on the table for your family.
This is a difficult reality that many families have faced this past year during the COVID pandemic.
Families facing food shortages are sadly becoming more and more common, not only in third world countries, but right here at home in Canada.
Christmas may be an especially challenging time of year for families during COVID-19, as they may not be able to afford the basic necessities, let alone resources for a special holiday meal.
This is where organizations like the local Food Bank can step in, offering practical help as well as hope to those who have no where else to turn.
In 2020, 166 Stoney Creek households per month were receiving assistance from the Stoney Creek Food Bank according to Ben Winters who serves as the volunteer manager. *
The pandemic has changed some things at the Stoney Creek Food Bank. For example: Food Bank users are no longer able to shop for food items themselves. They need a Food Bank volunteer to pick up each item for them.
However, what has not been affected by the COVID-19 crisis is the flow of donations coming in.
Whether it is local grocery stores, churches, businesses or other groups, citizens are recognizing that the need is greater than ever, and they are stepping up to make a difference.
In Stoney Creek, GFA World was busy sharing holiday cheer during the Advent and Christmas season for the local foodbank. 2020 was their 3rd year to collect non-perishable food items for the food bank during the Advent season.
Even though GFA wasn’t able to host their Annual Christmas Tree Lighting event, which in previous years had brought in a large amount of food bank donations, they still wanted to find a way to bless their neighbourhood.
They decided to put up a sign inviting people to spread some Christmas cheer by dropping off donations for the Food Bank and were excited by the positive response they received.
“This was largest amount of food we at GFA World have ever collected. We took about 5 loads of food to the Food Bank.” said a GFA staff member.
Many of the people that came by the office to drop off non-perishable food items were so grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community.
The people of Stoney Creek were generous and pulled together in this critical time to help share blessings with the less fortunate in their community.
Throughout the year, donations can be dropped off at the Stoney Creek Community Food Bank, located at 605 Hwy 8, between 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.
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GFA World, www.gfa.ca is a leading faith-based mission agency, helping national workers bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions, especially to those who have yet to hear about the love of God. In GFA World’s latest yearly report, this included more than 70,000 sponsored children, free medical camps conducted in more than 1,200 villages and remote communities, over 4,800 clean water wells drilled, over 12,000 water filters installed, income-generating Christmas gifts for more than 260,000 needy families, and spiritual teaching available in 110 languages in 14 nations through radio ministry. For all the latest news, visit our Press Room at https://press.gfa.org/news. PHOTO CUTLINE: GFA World Collects Food Bank Donations: Canadian-based mission agency GFA World collected non-perishable food items for the Stoney Creek Food Bank, during the Advent season.