Orangeville Food Bank Launches Revolutionary Community Vending Program
For Immediate Release
Orangeville, ON June 21st 2023 – The Orangeville Food Bank is ready to launch a revolutionary community vending machine program.
The director of the Food Bank, Heather Hayes, has been envisioning this project for a number of years and is thrilled to finally see her dream turning into a reality. The goal of the Orangeville Food Bank is to continually innovate and explore new ways to remove barriers to accessing food, and to reduce food insecurity.
This is especially true in the current economic climate where food bank use has soared exponentially.
The vending machine was donated by a volunteer of the Food Bank, who humbly wishes to remain anonymous. The Lawrence Schafer Foundation stepped in with a very generous donation of $10,000 to launch the project, providing funding for the required food and packaging supplies. And finally in partnership with the Town of Orangeville and the Orangeville Library, an appropriate home was established to place the Vending Machine.
The Vending Machine will be temporarily located at the Town Hall until the renovations are complete at the Orangeville Library.
The Community Vending Machine will have a permanent home at the Orangeville Library on Mill Street, which is open to the public 10-6 Monday through Sunday allowing 7 days a week access to healthy foods. The Vending Machine will be stocked with food and snacks such as veggie sticks, wraps, salads, and sandwiches. The food bank Community Kitchen Coordinator along with volunteers will prepare the snacks at the food bank 4 times a week and restock the machine to ensure all the product is fresh and safe to eat. All items will be available for 25¢.
“We encourage the whole community to use the machine to help prevent the stigma associated with the food bank. “ – Savanaha O’Reilly Food Manager
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The Orangeville Food Bank is a not-for-profit organization that provides emergency food and supplies to over 1,000 people a month in the Orangeville area. It is supported by approximately 175 volunteers and relies on food and monetary donations from our community. The Orangeville Food Bank believes in dignity and uses a points-based shopping system where patrons choose their own food. It is a member of Feed Ontario, one of the organizations in the Food Banks Canada Network.
For more information contact:
Savanaha O’Reilly
Food Manager
she/her
Orangeville Food Bank
519 942 0638
For media inquiries contact:
Sarah Clarke
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