A mission of love for two Callander women

The children from the school at M.T. Davidson School form a chain from the school to the Food Bank Tuesday to deliver the food they have collected for the new Callander Food Bank.

What started as a kind gesture of support for those in need during a fall holiday turned into a mission of love for two Callander women. Rosemary Dupuis and Maureen Fitzgerald saw a need in their community for a food bank and instead of just talking about it the two took up the challenge to do something to help which was was realized Tuesday with the official opening of the Callander Food Bank.

"At Thanksgiving we took down a collection to the Powassan Food Bank and Vivianne Benson really encouraged us saying we need one in Callander," explains Fitzgerald on how the Callander Food Bank got started.

"And Rosemary Dupuis and I talked about it on the way home and here we are today."

The two worked tirelessly from the day of the car discussion to Tuesday's ribbon cutting ceremony ... they secured a building, recruited volunteers and community support, fundraised and collected food for the opening.

"It is to bad that we have the need for a food bank anywhere in the world, especially locally, but it is a fact of life," says Fitzgerald following a $900 cheque presentation by the students and staff at MT Davidson School.

"We are doing what we can to make a difference."



Fitzgerald says the fact that about 43 local families are accessing help from other communities it was easy to make a case to open a food bank in town and anticipates that the number of users will be significantly higher than the 43 that they know of.

"There is a need, our people have been going to Powassan and North Bay, 29 families to Powassan and 14 to North Bay that we know of and it's a distance and an inconvenience for families to get there."

"It will probably be more now that it is accessible, and with today's economy it's a definite need ... people are daily becoming without jobs without income and I know there are support systems there but still it doesn't cover every body's basic needs."

Fitzgerald also notes that the food bank isn't just a sad story about hard times because it is a glowing example of how a community spirit and how folks can come together and support one and other through the hard times.

"It think it has done a really great (job) for community spirit," she states.

"Our firemen have been on board, our businesses have really been on board and the Mayor and council have been supportive ... although it wasn't their initiative they have been supportive and definitely in favour."

Mayor Hector Lavigne agreed it is a bittersweet opening a food bank in his community but applauds the efforts of Dupuis, Fitzgerald and the entire community.

"I made reference in the opening ceremony to stage 5 of an event, usually a politician has the pleasure of showing up at the end and taking credit for everything, it's not like that here with respect to the food bank."

"This is a community event, a community endeavour ... and you see the support not only the schools but the other not for profit organisations the churches the individuals that live around Callander. There is no doubt a need and it tears at your heart when there is a need like that and I'm so proud of Callander and its residents for coming together like this."

"We would hope that you would never need a food bank," he states.

"It is very bittersweet and maybe one day we can get to the point where there are no food banks necessary."





Fitzgerald says one big part of the job is complete that being the opening but moving forward the other part of the job will be keeping the doors open.

"Well we can keep them open by financial donations definitely."

"Anyone who would be a monthly donor would be very much appreciated then we would know what's coming in. We will have to do fundraising also food collections such as the children have done this morning," she says referring to the food chain students at MT Davidson had formed to deliver food from the school to the bank.

"We have had several big collections come in and this is only a beginning -- perhaps by this evening those shelves could be empty ... although there is lots of food in there at the moment."

The food bank is located at 78 Lansdowne Street, Callander and is open to serve residents each Tuesday from 3pm to 5pm.