Last week, Northumberland United Way hosted our first Week of Caring for Northumberland Eats. A twist on our annual Day of Caring, the week-long event raised funds to support the Northumberland Eats food voucher program.
A partnership of Northumberland United Way and Northumberland County, Northumberland Eats provides food support to individuals and families while supporting local businesses across Northumberland County.
During the week, $19,250 was raised to support the program, with these dollars being directly invested into food vouchers distributed by more than 24 local non-profit organizations.
“We are overwhelmed by the incredible generosity we have received from residents in our community who continue to step up and support those when they need it most,” says Bobbie Dawson, CEO, Northumberland United Way. “Thank you to our Partners in Caring who enthusiastically adjusted their annual Day of Caring donations to instead support our Week of Caring for Northumberland Eats.”
“We are very pleased to be participating in the Northumberland Eats program and receive vouchers through Week of Caring. As we distributed 65+ boxes of food last week we were very happy to distribute 49 Northumberland Eats vouchers,” says Pam MacDougall, Community Health Promoter, Community Health Centres of Northumberland. “Individuals were thrilled to receive the vouchers and sincerely thanked us. One individual said, ‘This is awesome. You have made my weekend.’ It is the generous support of so many companies and individuals that made the Week of Caring a huge success, and a special thank you to Northumberland United Way for coordinating and supporting the Week of Caring.”
For more than 20 years, our Partners in Caring have supported our annual Day of Caring. This year, Cameco Corporation, CpK Interior Products, SABIC, Akzo Nobel, and Lakefront Utilities came together to raise a collective $15,750 for the Northumberland Eats food voucher program.
Since the program launched in December 2020, more than 6,000 vouchers have been distributed across our community. Vouchers are allocated by participating social service organizations to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity and can be used like cash at nearly 20 participating restaurants and food vendors throughout Northumberland County.
To learn more, visit www.mynuw.org/northumberland-eats and for a complete list of participating restaurants visit: https://foodhelpnorthumberland.cioc.ca/
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
