LITTLE CURRENT—The organizers of a two-transport load food giveaway in the parking lot of the NEMI Recreation Centre announced themselves to be “very pleased” with the success of this first event, so much so that they are already planning for the next edition.
“We agree the event ran smoothly and are already looking forward to the next giveaway on Manitoulin,” said Ian Gibbons, senior manager food recovery and logistics with Second Harvest, who along with his colleague Dan Collins, Second Harvest senior operations manager were on hand for the event. “Second Harvest recognizes the need to get good food up there on a more regular basis.”
The event was organized by Jamie Fitchett of Helping Hands Family Missions out of Sudbury. Mr. Fitchett had approached the Northeast Town council for permission to hold the food giveaway at the recreation centre at the 11th hour on Tuesday, February 4. Permission was granted, although some concerns regarding traffic were expressed by Mayor Al MacNevin—citing an earlier event that had taken place at the Manitoulin Country Fest grounds.
In the event, those concerns did not come to fruition, as traffic did not back onto Highway 6 during the daylong event. The municipality provided a forklift and driver to help unload the pallets of food on the transport trucks.
Those arriving were directed into a line where volunteers asked how many households and people were represented by each vehicle. Bins containing foods ranging from canned goods to fresh vegetables, to meats and dairy products, were eagerly snapped up by visitors throughout the day.
