Kingston’s Friends Feeding Friends providing groceries to Kingstonians affected by Covid-19
The Davies Charitable Foundation in partnership with the Partners in Mission Foodbank, No Frills Supermarkets, and a community of Kingston philanthropists, is pleased to announce Kingston’s Friends Feeding Friends which will provide over $500,000 worth of groceries to Kingstonians who have lost their income and are in financial distress due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Many Kingstonians have lost income and find themselves in financial distress due to Covid-19, and while we know support is coming from government, people are already feeling the pressure of a lost pay cheque” says Gregory Davies, the Chair of the Davies Charitable Foundation. “That is why we are working to get grocery money to the families who need it, as soon as we can.”
This program was made possible with the generous support of The Davies Charitable Foundation, Homestead Land Holdings, The Larry Gibson Foundation, The W.J. Henderson Foundation, The Linda Ann Daly and Walter Fenlon Foundation, The Anna and Edward C. Churchill Foundation, The Dr. Samuel Robinson Charitable Foundation, The Abramsky Family and B’nai Brith Lodge 1191 Kingston.
The program could not have been brought to life without the support and skills of many Kingston businesses and levels of government who volunteered their time and resources, in particular Lightbody Marketing, the Community Foundation for Kingston and Area, Avenue Strategy, Jumphost, Flaherty McCarthy LLP, Mayor Bryan Paterson and the City of Kingston, and Ian Arthur, MPP for Kingston and the Islands.
Employers can apply on behalf of their employees who have been laid off, who are in isolation without pay, who have lost income because they are ill with COVID-19 or are caring for someone who is, and those who have lost paid work to care for children amidst school and day care closures. Employees will receive a unique one-time link from their employer to receive their $100 No Frills gift card.
Employers can register their employees in financial distress due to the COVID-19 virus at the Partners in Mission Foodbank website: relief.kingstonfoodbank.ca
“We felt the most tangible way to help the largest number of families was to provide groceries, in the hope that we could help bridge the gap until government relief arrives” concluded Dr. Davies. “All of the donors are passionate Kingstonians. We love our city and felt the immediate need to help in this time of crisis.” “These donated funds are a great start, but we are fearful it won’t be enough to help all those in need. We encourage other Kingstonians who would like to join us in supporting those newly in need in our community to ensure we can help as many as we can. Be a friend and feed a friend. Please donate to Partners in Mission Food Bank."
Dan Irwin, Executive Director of the Partners in Mission Food Bank says, "We are so excited about this new program to help us help those in Kingston who have never had to use our services before. We'd also like to remind Kingstonians that there are still many families who need our help on a regular basis. Now, more than ever, they too need the support of the Kingston community to ensure our supplies of food are sufficient to support them through these difficult times."
