In October 2022, Acart donated carts and shelving to the Bloor West Food Bank in an effort to help combat the issue of rising food insecurity in Toronto.
Donating food is one way to contribute, but creating efficient processes also helps in ways that Karen Allmen, Co-Coordinator of the Bloor West Food Bank explains:
"Carts - Having the extra carts made unloading the items from the Daily Bread skids and Second Harvest truck go much faster and smoother.
Rolling Shelves - Normally we load all the non-perishable bags into bins and the bins onto carts to take upstairs. We are now able to load many of the bags directly onto the shelves, roll them onto the elevator and distribute them directly from the shelves. Much easier and faster.
Additional Shelving - It was so wonderful to have a place to put newly arrived items which makes it easier for us to identify what we have, what we need and where items are stored."
Since The Bloor West Food Bank opened in August 2020, it has grown from serving 10 households to over 200 which shows the growing need for food banks.
According to Statistics Canada, 18.6% of Torontonians experienced food insecurity in 2021. Food banks are currently experiencing triple the amount of visitors since COVID-19.
"We are so appreciative of the amazing donation of carts and shelving from ACART. Last week was the first week we pressed the items into service and boy what a difference it made."
- Karen Allmen, Co-Coordinator, Bloor West Food Bank