Leader’s Food Bank helps recipients make ends meet

By Joan Janzen

LEADER - Leader’s Food Bank is an example of a non-profit organization that quietly serves the people in its community and beyond. Andreas Kummer is one of the organization’s volunteers who helps provide an essential service in Leader and area.

These volunteers from the Leader Food Bank help distribute food hampers in Leader and area every third Thursday of the month. SUBMITTED

“I’ve been doing this for eleven years, and I’ve never seen a community donate like this one does,” he said. “We’re not funded by the government; this is strictly by donations from this area.”

Not only do they provide food for Leader, but they also distribute to the communities of Lancer and Mendham. “We have people coming from those areas, but we have more people donating from those areas,” he said.

Donations are distributed on the third Thursday of each month at a local church basement. While statistics show over two million people visit food banks in one month within Canada, the Leader Food Bank averages around twenty-four people a month. “For a small community, it’s still alarming that there’s that many,” Andreas said. However, the number of people they serve fluctuates as people move away or circumstances change.

What doesn’t change is that the monthly food package helps stretch food budgets for both young and old, families and seniors, the unemployed and those working seasonally.

“Right now, we have six directors,” Andreas said. “We do some deliveries for people who are disabled, elderly or far enough away and don’t drive. We don’t have anybody footing the bill for gas or anything.”

People drop off their non-perishable food donations at boxes provided at various locations in Leader. “We try to pick up some bread, milk, eggs, and butter for each monthly pickup,” he explained.

Thank you to the volunteers who quietly serve at the Leader Food Bank, providing a vital need in their community.