Feeding Windsor going an extra mile

People who get free meals from Feeding Windsor will now be able to learn to make the meals themselves.

The Feeding Windsor program is starting a culinary program to help with the rapid rise of unemployment in the community.

According to Statistics Canada, the unemployment rate in Windsor increased by 0.7 per cent between December 2019 and January 2020, which is higher than Ontario and Canada.

Feeding Windsor started 10 years ago at the Downtown Mission by Rodger Fordham who is now the CEO of Feeding Windsor. The program was placed on hold due to its rapid growth but will be reinstated in March, following a $20,000 renovation.

They will be providing individuals with cooking and employability skills.

The organization gets its funding from donations and partnerships with churches and other supportive organizations.

“We don’t get any sponsorship from the government. We do have a social enterprise dinner that partners with emergency shelter program and we do have some revenues from the dinner in return for food,” said Fordham.

In 2019, Feeding Windsor distributed 180,000 meals including lunch clubs and community meals. They also operate a pet food bank that supports 350 animals a month.

The charity organization recorded 25,000 volunteer hours in 2019 and have been successful with getting volunteers.

“We need at least 10 volunteers a week to help hand out food, clean up and tear down,” said Pam Handsor, a volunteer who has been with the organization since 2017.

The clients do not only enjoy free meals but also get the opportunity to meet and connect with new people.

“It has helped me to save money and meet new people,” said Rodger Ducharme one of the benefactors of Feeding Windsor.

Community meals are served Tuesdays through Fridays. To donate you can visit their website at feedingwindsor.ca.