Ontario Beef Farmers Support Local Communities During Crisis

When Ontario food banks put out the call for help during the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers from across the province stepped up to help. While news channels were full of crisis updates and illness reports, good news stories emerged about community food bank donations of items like eggs, ground beef and vegetables. Many of these donations came directly from local farmers or farm organizations who wanted to help their neighbours. Here are a few highlights from across the province.

Elgin

The Elgin Beef Farmers supported the West Elgin Daffodil Auxiliary and their local community of Dutton during the COVID-19 pandemic. The group donated $500 towards the purchase of 300 lb. of ground beef and coordinated a socially-distanced pickup and delivery of the beef. The Elgin Beef Farmers were proud to be part of the community outreach program, showing support from local farmers.

Linn McCann, West Elgin Daffodil Auxiliary and Alan Carroll, past president of the Elgin Beef Farmers in Dutton.

Frontenac

Ground beef donations were an essential food item at the Yarker Road Community Pantry in Frontenac County. More than 1,000 lb. of beef was donated by the Beef Farmers of Frontenac, members themselves and local cattle breeders. This unique self-serve approach to providing the local community with access to food started with an industrial-sized fridge strategically positioned at an entrance way to the Perry Farm, the home of Dave and Kim Perry in Harrowsmith.

On March 31, the couple set up and stocked the fridge, including donations of ground beef, pies from Kim’s store, Food Less Travelled, vegetables and other pantry staples. Access to food, grocery stores and for some, the ability to purchase food on limited means as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, was the driving force for setting up the community pantry. Over the weeks, the pantry was named the Yarker Road Community Pantry and, thanks to the local community, donations of food and money poured in. “The pantry works on a free access system where people can come and help themselves or drop off donations. It has become so popular we added a small building for dry goods,” says Dave Perry, who is also the president of the Beef Farmers of Frontenac, and notes that the group reallocated their annual ground beef donation from charity camps to the community pantry this year.

Since its inception, the spirit of the community pantry has spread. Dave says a neighbour now collects empties and donates the money to buy food items, and whenever the pantry was running low a call for donations over social media was met with overwhelming response. The couple even offered a portion of their large vegetable garden to anyone who wanted to try growing their own food. Two sisters now manage the entire garden, growing produce for the community pantry and anyone else who needs it. “This all stemmed from the pandemic situation, when it was a tough time and people were in need. Everyone appreciates the pantry – those who use it and those who are able to make a difference by donating,” says Dave, explaining that, while pantry visitors have slowed in recent weeks, the pantry will remain open with community support.

Lambton

Despite social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, two groups came together for the first time to support rural food banks in Lambton County. To ‘beef’ up their donation, the Lambton Cattlemen’s Association invited the Lambton Grain Farmers to match their donation of $1,000 to purchase and process a cow for ground beef.

Members of both groups supported the initiative that saw donations of 100 lb. of ground beef delivered to six different rural food banks across the county. “For more than five years our group has been donating ground beef to local food banks twice each year,” says Tom Wilson, delegate for the Lambton Cattlemen’s Association and former BFO board member. “This year we knew we needed to make a donation when it was needed the most – during the pandemic – and we were pleased to partner with the local grain farmers organization to make the donation more impactful.”

Joe Dickenson, chair of the Lambton Cattlemen’s Association and Brad Podolinsky, chair of the Lambton Grain Farmers deliver ground beef to rural food banks in Lambton County.

With more ground beef to donate, the groups also extended their reach to another rural food bank. Wilson says that in the past, the Lambton Cattlemen’s Association donated to food banks in the communities of Forest, Alvinston, Oil Springs, Watford and Petrolia. “This year we added Corunna and everyone was so grateful,” he says. “It’s important to support our food banks because most of us don’t realize how tough some people have it right now.”

Lennox & Addington

Every December, the Lennox & Addington Cattlemen’s Association donate locally produced ground beef to the Salvation Army Food Bank. Funds to purchase the beef are raised throughout the year at their semi-annual dances. The fundraising dances are popular with the community, drawing volunteers and attendees from the local agriculture community and beyond.

This year, the group changed their plans. After discussing the pandemic situation and concern about food access for families in their community, members of the Lennox & Addington Cattlemen’s Association voted unanimously to make their annual donation in early May. “Despite cancelling our dance this year, we knew we needed to support our community at a time they needed it the most,” says Brian Windover, secretary-treasurer for the organization.

Lennox & Addington Cattlemen’s Association president, Terry Burns delivers 500 lb. of ground beef to the Salvation Army Food Bank in Napanee.

The group purchased 500 lb. of ground beef from Brian Quinns Meats Ltd. in Yarker. The processor topped up the food bank donation by adding 10 large turkeys. “The food bank was grateful and we kept them scrambling to find enough freezer space,” says Windover.

The spirit of community support came full circle for the Lennox & Addington Cattlemen’s Association – soon after they made their donation, a large cash donation was also made to the food bank. The director of the food bank connected with the group to support local beef farmers and the processor by using the donation to purchase more locally produced ground beef.

Peterborough

Every year, the Peterborough County Cattlemen’s Association donates to the Kawartha Food Share program. The donation is raised from a fundraiser held at their annual summer barbecue, and despite the cancellation of this year’s event, the group made a $1,000 donation earlier this spring during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s donation brings the total donation to $5,370 for the program since 2017.

4-H members and barbecue attendees enjoy the annual Peterborough County Cattlemen’s Association summer barbecue that raises funds for the Kawartha Food Share program. The event was not held in 2020 due to COVID-19.

“Our 2020 donation came from savings, but the urgency during COVID-19 inspired us to continue to support the Kawartha Food Share program. We believe this is an extremely efficient organization that deserves our support,” says Pat Leahy, secretary-treasurer for the Peterborough County Cattlemen’s Association. For every dollar the group donates, the Kawartha Food Share program is able to purchase $6 worth of food. “The program’s mandate is to ensure that members of Peterborough have access to a reliable emergency food source and create public awareness about the impact of hunger.”

The Peterborough County Cattlemen’s Association annual barbecue is a popular community event, drawing as many as 800 people each year. The group offers a barbecue beef dinner, live music, door prizes and a 4-H calf show. The charity fundraising silent and live auction has been a highlight of the event since 2012 when director Mike Telford first organized the fundraiser.

Beef Farmers of Ontario

While many local associations supported their regional food banks and community programs, BFO provided an annual donation of $20,000 to the Feed Ontario program to purchase fresh ground beef. An additional $10,000 was also donated to support Feed Ontario’s COVID-19 Emergency Food Box program that created pre-packed emergency food boxes with a week’s worth of food in one centralized location for food banks across Ontario. BFO is pleased to report $3,875 in cash donations was also raised after BFO challenged producers and consumers to rally together to support the Feed Ontario Food Box program. As a result, 403,000 emergency food boxes were packaged and shipped to every corner of the province to help alleviate the impact of COVID-19 for families in need.

Despite some of the most challenging times, good news stories continue to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you to everyone who continues to support their food banks, community programs, friends and neighbours.