I have never been faced with the decision of food vs clothing, or food vs shelter, and for that I am very grateful. Over 20,000 people in the City of Guelph however are not that lucky. The Guelph Food Bank helps those that struggle with that decision; individuals and families who cannot afford to feed themselves on a day to day basis.

I recently began working at AdFarm, and about a week ago saw a window into the company’s soul. We celebrated Food Freedom Day, the day the average Canadian has made enough money to feed themselves for the year. This event is part of our corporate social responsibility – sharing our good fortune with others.

In the Guelph office, we went to local farmers, purchased their products and donated it all to the local food bank.

We made five stops to purchase fresh Ontario food.  The first, Lucas McDougall , a 14 yr old entrepreneur and cousin of an employee, who has taken to producing eggs for his community. From him we purchased several dozen eggs. Second was Gerrie’s Farm Market in Elora, where we loaded 200 lb. of potatoes. Agram Meats was the third stop, where we purchased one large box of 1 lb. bags of fresh ground beef.

Wellington Country Market Place was our final stop, we bought  $100 of fresh pork sausage, and when they heard about what we were doing, they graciously donated another $100 of fresh meat.

To celebrate our local bounty, we enjoyed a meal from Fraberts, a local fresh food grocery store in Fergus. They offer everything from ready-made home cooked meals to fresh produce.  During our lunch Jackie Fraser, co-owner of Fraberts with her chef husband Derek Roberts, told us their story, and the development she sees with customers and the food they buy.  Jackie also helped us source 250 lb. of carrots and 200 lb. of apples.

After lunch, it was off for my first visit to the food bank, en route I discussed with a fellow employee all the things she saw the year prior. I was amazed. She told me that the food bank sets up baskets of food for the people coming in, each basket should last at least 10-12 days and only one visit per month is allowed. I recently learned the food bank accepts more than canned, non-perishable items. That’s why our office focused on getting fresh food like fruits, vegetables and meats.

At the food bank I marveled at the very modest building packed floor to ceiling with boxes of canned goods, and shopping carts for moving items around. I’m not sure what I was expecting but it sure wasn’t that. And the food bank only has three paid employees; the rest of their organization relies solely on volunteers.

At the end of the day, we delivered 795 lb. of food! I left that day with a new appreciation for my life; thankful to have daily access to food and basic living essentials and for a job with company that cares enough to help those who do not.

Jackie Littlejohn brings Agness to AdFarm. Raised on a hog farm in Southwestern Ontario, she can still be found in the barn at every opportunity. She studies agriculture business education at the University of Guelph. Jackie, the office administrator in the Guelph office, is a smiling face for everyone who walks in the door.  You can find her at jackie.littlejohn@adfarmonline.com.