HEROES OF HEFC - September 2020 edition
Lynn Sherwood
As we approach the end of this strange summer I am glad to report that, considering the
uncertainties we have been managing, things are working out remarkably well at HEFC. We
have implemented the stringent sanitization procedures required by the Public Health
Department and continue to receive excellent support from the City of Ottawa, the Public Health Department, and the Ottawa Food Bank. A number of organizations have also made significant donations of both food and cash Our staff and volunteers have worked hard to be able to continue to meet the needs of the food insecure folks in Ottawa South. All is well and everyone, has stayed safe.
None of this, of course, would be possible without the support of our team of dedicated
volunteers who have worked together all summer to ensure that our clients’ needs are met.
This month our Heroes are Doug and Nancy Chateauneuf, who have been stalwarts during this difficult period. They are representative of the group of 20 weekly volunteers who have worked together to keep services operating efficiently while adjusting to the changing regulations and requirements as a result of the pandemic precautions.
Their jobs include bagging bulk supplies into individual units, stocking shelves, filling orders,
and maintaining a clean work environment. Including everyone from students to seniors, this
disparate group of volunteers has become a smoothly operating team through which much
friendship and camaraderie has developed.
Doug and Nancy moved to Ottawa one and a half years ago and began volunteering in January of 2020 after reading many articles about HEFC in The Vistas. Volunteering opportunities and social activities they have discovered through The Vistas paper have proven to be an excellent means to find both friends and new experiences in their new community of Alta Vista.
Nancy reports: “Doug and I never dreamed our 45 th wedding anniversary would be spent in a pandemic, volunteering at HEFC. It was a wonderful day and we had our photo taken in the Food Centre for posterity”.
I asked them which message they would like to pass on to the readers of The Vistas and this is their statement: “I would like to share a message of thanks to all of the kind people who have donated P.P.E. to us in the form of beautiful masks, hand sanitizers and gloves. Another thank you for the generous monetary donations and special additions to our hampers such as soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, specialty food items and fresh garden vegetables. Alta Vista residents should be very proud of rising to the Covid challenge and helping with this essential need in their community here at HEFC”
As we move into yet more uncertainty during this fall and winter, we can feel confident that our volunteers and staff are ensuring that the processes we have implemented to be able to continue to safely provide service to vulnerable people are working well. Let us continue to work together to help each other and continue to keep everyone safe and healthy.
We still, however, have a long way to go and an uncertain economic future as we move into a
new phase of the pandemic. We ask you all continue to remember and to support those of us who are unemployed as a result of the pandemic, who have mental health challenges, who are disabled, isolated, newcomers, lonely, and who need support. The pandemic has surely shown us that as a community we are only as strong as the most vulnerable among us.
Having access to plentiful, nutritious food is the basis for all health. We have had a wonderful summer and I note that many of us have been growing vegetable gardens. Should you find yourself wondering what to do with an overabundance of home grown produce, HEFC will gladly accept donations of fresh vegetables, much sought after by our clients who frequently live in high rise apartments and cannot grow their own.
You can contact us at: 613 737 9090 or hefc-info@rogers.com
Heron Emergency Food Centre is located at 1480 Heron Road and is open 4 days a week to
provide emergency food to folks in need in Ottawa South.
Check us out on Twitter HEFC.ca@HeronfoodCentre
SEPTEMBER WISH LIST
Tuna, canned vegetables, canned pasta sauce, pasta, canned soup, chickpeas, kidney beans,
cereal. , fresh vegetables. Donations of personal protective equipment and personal sanitary
items are also gladly received during this time.
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