100 Women Who Care Guelph has chosen Chalmers Community Services Centre’s Food Pantry to receive its most recent $17,000+ donation. The donation will provide food to members of our community who are food insecure via nutritionally balanced food baskets and a breakfast cafe.
Chalmers has been serving Guelph for over 28 years, now working out of two locations, with 75 volunteers and five staff. Their vision: “a community without poverty, where people flourish with dignity and respect”.
With a mandate of “Food Security for All”, Chalmer’s Food Pantry service offers three Food Pantries and two welcoming cafes every week. Families from all walks of life are welcomed bi-weekly and choose fresh produce, eggs, cheese and more via a basket format. They served 21,249 people in 2024. Fifty-seven percent of recipients of the baskets were children.
In 2025, the Food Pantry is in urgent need of additional funding; over half of their approximately $700,000 budget buys food; the other half of the food is donated. Their only support is from donors, the City of Guelph and United Way.
The problem is two-fold. First: the number of “food insecure” families is growing along with the cost of both food and economic turbulence/job losses.
Second: the cost of food has caused the Food Pantry to cut items from their line-up and to decrease the amounts purchased. The result: longer and growing line-ups of needy families; it often runs out of food after 45 minutes and must turn guests away.
The Food Pantry is seeking our donation to respond to the growing need; every dollar will go towards reinstating some foods that were “cut” and increasing the quantities offered. The donation will help it respond to today’s urgent and increasing food insecurity and very tough year ahead.
Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to become a member and help support those in need in our community.
This entry was posted in Press Releases on April 9th, 2025 (https://100womenwhocareguelph.com)
