Community campaign delivers major boost to Perth County food banks
- May 14
- 2 min read
By Gary West
The Stratford House of Blessing food bank recently received thousands of dollars in cash, cheques and cereal donations through a community campaign organized by two local couples determined to help fight food insecurity across Perth County.
Bruce and Margaret Whitmore of Stratford, along with Richard and Jean Smelski of Shakespeare, initially believed a simple cereal drive could make a difference.
The group first hoped to collect about 250 boxes of cereal by asking friends and neighbours to donate one or two boxes each. However, after learning more about the growing need at local food banks, they quickly realized much more support was needed.
The couples said reading about food insecurity in Perth County prompted them to investigate further.
Bruce and Margaret Whitmore visited several organizations, including St. Joseph’s Society of Saint Vincent de Paul food kitchen and Stratford House of Blessing, to better understand the challenges families are facing.
They also contacted all 13 food banks across Perth County to gather information on the number of households being served each month. What they discovered surprised them.
According to the organizers, 1,805 households accessed food banks across Perth County each month, with some families relying on cereal as a supper meal by the end of the month. Food-bank usage is also expected to increase by another 20 per cent this year.
Realizing their original goal would barely make a dent in the need, the Whitmores and Smelskis expanded their fundraising efforts and turned to the agricultural community for support.
They reached out to seed companies, farm organizations, elevators, agri-businesses, grocery stores and local farmers, many of whom responded generously.
Bruce Whitmore said the campaign gained momentum quickly.
The first business they approached agreed to donate 100 boxes of cereal. A second business matched the donation, while a third contributed $1,000 toward cereal purchases.
“At that point, we knew it was doable,” Bruce Whitmore said.
The campaign eventually raised more than $18,300, with additional donations still expected to arrive from several organizations and corporate head offices.
To date, the organizers have already delivered 151 boxes of cereal to House of Blessing, with nearly 150 more boxes still to come.
All cereal and financial donations will be distributed among Perth County’s 13 food banks based on the number of clients each organization serves.
While the four organizers describe the campaign as a “one-shot deal,” they say they are deeply grateful to the many individuals, businesses and organizations that stepped forward to help.
“Hungry families will be eating because of those who were so generous in their giving,” they said.