Toronto, ON – The Ontario Produce Marketing Association (OPMA) in partnership with the Toronto Wholesale Produce Association (TWPA) distributed over 1,200 boxes of 18kg of fresh produce to people in need across Ontario. The boxes were packed by 40 volunteers on Saturday, December 18, 2021, at the Ontario Food Terminal.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused greater food insecurity, so we are pleased to be able to continue the initiative this year. The hampers, which will be delivered to food banks across Ontario, contain enough fruit, nuts, and vegetables, for a family of two adults and two children for an entire week,” states Michelle Broom, OPMA President.
Utilizing a combination of rented equipment, donated services of a Northern Ontario grower, and a province-wide wholesale produce distributor, and a team of packing volunteers, the produce hampers will be delivered to 15 different organizations including a First Nations Community, which is located 1,150 kilometres north of Toronto.
According Jasmin Dooh of LAMP Community Health Centre, “We will be able to help to fight hunger this holiday season with the produce hampers from the Ontario Produce Marketing Association and the Toronto Wholesale Produce Association. The local LAMP community will get fresh fruit and veggies to feed their families. We’re thankful for this generous gift.”
“This year, we were able to overcome one of the program’s biggest challenges, which has been collecting and storing over 1000 empty banana boxes to pack the produce hampers. We are happy to say that for the first time, we have boxes specifically designed for this purpose, thanks to the team at Cascades,” said Fred Koornneef, TWPA President.
Since 1990, more than 30,000 Ontario families have benefited from the OPMA/TWPA Christmas Foodshare.
About the Ontario Produce Marketing Association:
The Ontario Produce Marketing Association is a member-funded, not for profit organization whose mission is to connect people and information from field to plate.
About the Toronto Wholesale Produce Association:
The Toronto Wholesale Produce Association represents the warehouse tenants at the Ontario Food Terminal, Canada’s largest wholesale fruit, vegetable and flower market.
