OUT and ABOUT with Seeker Chick Mai-Liis – enjoying a Poutine from Gaetan’s (mobile) Chipstand before taking part in “The Hunger Awareness Challenge” next week…

All this Summer I have been seeing the big yellow truck coming down our street and today was the day … should I, shouldn’t I and then I saw my neighbour crossing the street so I thought it must be good if she is going and so will I. Turns out it was her first time as well.

I decided to try the Poutine, placed my order and then figured I should turn this into an “Out and About” so I rushed back across the road to get my camera and got back in time to see this rather confused face greeting me with my Poutine in his hand. “I wondered where you went as no one was here to pick up the food”.

So I took a pic for promotion and went home where Sheldon and I shared the feast.

It was actually very good and disappeared off the plate pretty fast.

NEXT WEEK :

I’m sure that next week I definitely won’t be eating anything like this as I am taking part, along with other members of the media, in the “2020 The Hunger Awareness Challenge” which is also a way to raise some much needed funds for the Agapè Centre here in Cornwall.

I have to admit I am a bit nervous as I actually don’t cook at home because “Chef Sheldone” makes all the meals but from Monday, September 21 to midnight on Friday, September 25th I will be preparing my own meals with food provided by the Food Bank and I will be experiencing what it feels like to eat like a client of the food bank would.

MY FOOD BANK VISIT:

So at 1:30 today, I had my appointment at the Food Bank to pick my items for the week of the challenge. Jen took me around and told me how many items I could pick from in each section. I was actually surprised at how many items I had in my cart as I thought I would be quite limited in my food choices. However, what was in my cart was what an individual would choose for an entire month. So I am thinking, to make this fair I should only consider 1/4 of any of these items to be what I can eat during the 5 days that I am taking part in this challenge (to actually get an accurate feel of what it feels like to have to stretch this food supply throughout the entire month).

When I look at what was in my cart, I have to admit that I will be eating differently than normal as I usually eat a lot of fresh veggies and fruit during a week and the only fresh veggies I was able to get today are green and yellow beans and 2 spaghetti squash. This is going to be tough for me but I will have to be creative with my food choices from Monday the 21st of September to Friday, Midnight (September 25th).

Jen told me that at this point in time the Food Bank is quite full but at times the shelves can be quite bare. I asked her where the food comes from and she told be, local grocery stores donate a lot of food which may have damaged packages and they can’t sell these items in their stores and some donations come from individuals.

Participants in this challenge can also get soup kitchen meals which are available for take-out on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we can have 5 pantry items and also 3 items from a vegetable garden (if we have one). We can also spend $10 on groceries but of course we have to stretch this money wisely.

Each day we will be asked a question on the Agapè Centre page which we will answer and through The Seeker I will be writing a few stories about my experience throughout the week.

I am happy though that I will be raising awareness about the Agapè Centre, about what it feels like to live with food insecurity while at the same time raising much needed funds for the Centrè which relies on donations from the Community, proceeds from the Thrift Shop and annual fundraisers like this one.

Speaking of raising funds the easiest way is the e-transfer straight to: accounts@agapecentre.ca (and please mention my name in the notes).

You can follow my journey on my personal Facebook page as well as on the Seeker Page and of course on the Agape page as I answer the daily questions.

I do want to add a bit of info that Jen told me. If an individual or family runs out of food before the end of the month they can come to the Food Bank and receive an “Emergency Box” to hold them through to the end of the month so they really do make sure that no one should go hungry! Throughout the week I am sure I will find out more info about the Food Bank and I will be sure to share it with you.

In the meantime, I thank you all in advance for your support in this venture!