Police food drive collects 996 pounds at Fort Erie No Frills

Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) collected 996 pounds of food and $407 in cash at Jesse and Kelly’s No Frills on Thompson Road on Monday, but the single-day total at the Salvation Army food bank exposed a sharper local pressure: demand has nearly doubled since last year and donations are leaving shelves almost as fast as they arrive.

Fort Erie was the first of 13 stops in the sixth annual NRPS Spring Food Drive, running May 11 to 14 across Niagara. The drive was created to fill the gap in food support outside the holiday season.

Constable Andrea Bieliunas told Fort Erie Radio the pace of need at local food banks has opened her eyes to the extent of food insecurity in the region.

The Fort Erie Salvation Army food bank was already serving up to 325 households a month as of February, following a 40 per cent increase in usage over two years. Bieliunas said the pressure has continued to build since then.

“People are in dire need for food these days,” said Bieliunas. “Just with the way the costs are going up, with unemployment rates, people are using the food banks a lot more than ever.”

Bieliunas said she visited food banks directly before the drive began to understand how they operate. What she saw sharpened her view of the problem.

“It seems the food is leaving just as fast as it’s coming in,” said Bieliunas.

The food drive was started by Constable Jay McCarthy and over its first five years brought in 73,500 pounds of food and $53,000 in cash and gift cards across Niagara.

Bieliunas said food banks in Fort Erie are open to anyone in the community who needs them regardless of income or employment status. Most food banks in Fort Erie and across Niagara also accept clothing donations and welcome volunteers, options for residents who cannot afford to give food.

“Anybody can go to a food bank and get food,” said Bieliunas. “You don’t just have to be unemployed.”

The drive continues through Thursday, May 14, with stops in Grimsby, St. Catharines, Smithville, Beamsville, Welland, Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake.

The Fort Erie totals do not yet include a pending donation from Post Foods Canada, which partnered in the drive alongside the NRPS Community Oriented Response and Engagement unit.