Little by little, communities throughout Canada are getting back on their feet after the recession, but according to Sandra Sweet, there are many families here in Oshawa that are still struggling, with some having a harder time compared to last year.

Sweet, the executive director of Simcoe Hall Settlement House, said that these people still haven’t found jobs, and now that their employment insurance has run out, the situation has become more hopeless as the days go by. There’s just no way they can make it on their own, she added.

The Simcoe Hall Food Bank serves as an important resource for these families not just to get food, but other necessities such as clothing and medicine as well. Last year, the food bank attended to over 11,000 locals. 35% of them were children.

The only way these food banks can meet the needs of the people is through campaigns and projects such as the recently held Kiwanis Spring Food Drive.

The one-day event was a success thanks to the efforts of hundreds of student volunteers who spread out across the city, distributing flyers to over 20,000 homes. The flyers asked homeowners to leave any food donations they could spare on their porch the next weekend, which the students picked up and brought to the food bank.

Find out more on how to help the Simcoe Hall Food Bank by logging on to www.simcoehall.com.