ANIDA delivers free groceries to TCHC seniors
ANIDA fostered a new partnership with a Toronto Community Housing building on Shoreham Dr. dedicated to seniors. This partnership provides bi-weekly home deliveries of essential grocery items.
"We started the program because we knew many seniors were coming to our food bank from the area. We began with a list of 40 clients. Now we are delivering groceries to 100+ seniors in the building. Our client's safety is our first priority and the Shoreham delivery program allows us to meet the needs of our community without putting anyone at risk," says Samuel Donkor Jr., Executive Director at ANIDA.
"Food insecurity is the most pressing and important issue for our tenants and has become a regular conversation. When COVID hit, there was a vast amount of extra care we had to take for vulnerable people with underling health conditions. It was critically important that we work with community partners like ANIDA to bring food to the building rather than relying on tenants going to a foodbank or outside agencies," says Joseph Greer, Community Services Coordinator at Toronto Community Housing.
According to Greer, the delivery of essential food has gone beyond just food to include social wellness, safety and helping with isolation. "Many folks don't get visitors. The food program has been not only an essential program for food and nutrition, but also helps with mental health and breaking social isolation," notes Greer. "It is confirmation that the community cares about the wellness of the tenant population. It runs far deeper than a meal. It is the love and the care behind it."
The benefits of this new partnership include:
- Provide much-needed food delivery service to vulnerable TCHC tenants and seniors
- Creating a sense of community and reducing social isolation for tenants
- Preventing the spread of COVID-19 through door-step deliveries
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About ANIDA:
Founded in 1997, ANIDA is dedicated to strengthening people and communities through our food banks and education based empowerment programs in Canada, Ghana and Jamaica. ANIDA's food banks in Toronto and Ottawa are open year round, serving hundreds of families every week.
About Toronto Community Housing:
Toronto Community Housing is Canada's largest social housing landlord, providing homes for nearly 60,000 low and moderate-income households in neighbourhoods across the city. We are wholly owned by the City of Toronto and our 2,100 buildings represent a $10-billion public asset.
Media contacts:
Jennifer Dobrowolski, jdobrowolski@anida.org
