Adam Prudhomme
Editor
When General William Booth founded the Salvation Army in 1865, he vowed to offer those in need some soup, soap and salvation.
Fast forward 155 years later and the Napanee chapter continues that tradition in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Though it’s had to adapt how it operates, the Napanee Food Bank continues to provide food boxes for those in need, complete with a bar of soap to help curtail the spread of the virus.
For public safety, the Salvation Army has opted to close its thrift store and is currently not accepting any donated items. Food boxes are still available to be picked up from the food bank, they do however require an appointment so volunteers can prepare the boxes and leave them in the waiting room. Staff will then exit the room until the box is picked up, and then sterilize the room and prepare for the next pick up appointment.
“It’s completely uncharted waters,” said Abby Mills, director of community ministries for the Napanee Salvation Army. “I keep saying to my staff and volunteers, there really is no template for us. The world has never experienced something of this magnitude.”
“I have re-deployed some of our thrift store staff over to the Family Services side of our operation to give support here to help us keep up with the demand,” added Mills. “It has gotten busier over here but we’ve been able to keep up at this point in time. However we are certainly purchasing more things for our food bank. We’ve had some amazing support from organizations like the Food Sharing Network in Kingston which has reached out to us with an offer of providing food for us.”
With unemployment expected to rise during the pandemic, the dependency on the food bank is expected to grow. The loss of income from the thrift store is another challenge as they prepare for the increased demand.
“We’re finding ways to be economical in our purchasing and doing everything we can to stretch our resources so that we can continue to be there to help people in our community,” said Mills.
Food donation bins have been established at Metro and No Frills. Anyone looking to make a monetary donation can visit www.SalvationArmy.ca and select Napanee.
Mills says the Salvation Army is also being proactive in their response to the crisis, preparing staff to make home deliveries to clients if pickups are no longer deemed safe.
To make an appointment to visit the food bank, located at 82 Richard Street in Napanee, call 613-354-4735.