KIM BURTON-SCHRAM
LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER
The Saint Vincent de Paul Society is an integral part of Glengarry, spearheading the food bank which so many residents rely upon, as well as offering clothing and household items for sale at very reasonable prices for families on tight budgets.
The food bank, located at the Sacré Coeur Church in Alexandria, is open Tuesdays.
The organization’s thrift shop on Main Street in Alexandria is currently teeming with items for sale.
The executive of the society recently approached North Glengarry Township Council requesting help with storage solutions and the overflowing store.
Society Vice President Suzanne Gareau said, “Our triage area has always been a bone of contention. It is not that big of a room but to triage what comes in on a daily basis and especially after a weekend our volunteers can feel a bit “‘crammed in.'” Gareau said the society is not looking to move from its current location, but it is stunned by the amount of donations – a good problem to have if space wasn’t an issue.
“We do adapt,” said Gareau, “We need to rethink our strategy for what we keep for others. Those ‘others’ being the homeless shelters, dog shelters, smash room type venues. What we keep for others, we sometimes don’t know for how long we need to keep it. For example, the homeless…we may get to them once a week, but meanwhile the ‘stuff’ accumulates.”
Food drives
The food drives are also kicking into high gear, starting recently with the Fill the Cruiser held at Mainville’s Independent Grocer in Alexandria. Volunteers and OPP officers were on hand to collect donations and pre-packaged bags of dry goods to donate to the food bank. Said Gareau, “We will also partner up with both North and South Glengarry and just about every school, office, business, church, group will be asked to contribute to the cause. We have tremendously generous partners in our community.”
Many schools in Glengarry challenge each other to see who can collect the most food, with a continuing, friendly rivalry between Char-Lan District High School and Glengarry District High School. In addition, this year’s local Tim Horton’s Holiday Smile Cookies campaign proceeds will be going towards Saint Vincent de Paul in Alexandria.
The society also has a “Chistmas Angels” program for children in need.
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