WOULDN’T IT BE GREAT IF IT WASN’T NEEDED IN OUR COMMUNITY?

I think it would be fabulous to one day have those folks, who run the local food bank, here in Gravenhurst, to burst forth and announce to the media that there is no longer a need to supplement household groceries in our entire hometown. It’s not that we wish to close-up and cease the good work of some incredible volunteers, connected with the Salvation Army but that we could reach an illuminated, comforting horizon without such ever-expanding need.

Some folks remember when we didn’t have a food bank, and wonder aloud why we need one at all. There are critics who believe the food bank is being taken advantage of, and that if it wasn’t an available service, people in need would find another way to acquire food items.....just like they did in the old days. Truth is, there will always be critics and ignorance when it comes to appreciating the many reasons our food bank is of great importance to the well being of our friends and neighbors. It would be difficult to convince all the disbelievers out there, unless of course they were to volunteer at the food bank, to see for themselves, the need that presents itself every day, every week, every month that these present-day volunteers spend worrying about having enough supplies to carry on.

In the past, the town hall in this town, was less than a full block away from the Salvation Army operated Food Bank, yet it might as well have been miles away, for what it received in recognition. I could not be mayor of Gravenhurst, or a councillor, and not be awfully concerned about the work-load and demand at the Food Bank. It’s the welfare of our friends and neighbors unfolding over there, and it is the business of Gravenhurst Council to be aware and concerned about the increasing problems folks here are facing as a matter of day to day living. While it’s damn easy to get a politician to stand-in for a grip and grin snapshot, cutting a ribbon or co-handling a spade-handle for the media photographers, it’s another thing to find a councillor wandering into the Food Bank inner sanctum on a fact finding mission. Not just at Christmas either.....and not as a media event....but because it is an important component of our town, now and in the future. You can’t possibly fix what impedes this town from doing better economically, without clearly understanding the shortfalls that exist.....which don’t mirror prosperity but rather warn about many impending social-economic problems yet to come. With town hall now further away, they can visually miss the activity at the Food Bank most of the time. No matter how high and mighty council might feel.....having just won a popularity contest in our hometown, a sobering reality is that we need the daily help of the Salvation Army to help ourselves. What if we didn’t have the Salvation Army in our midst? Will they stay here forever? It’s starting to look like a forever situation. We should understand how potentially dangerous this is, placing so much pressure on one organization to keep up with need. We all should pay attention to this growing trend of disadvantage, as recessionary times become the norm. While it would seem that building new plazas and box stores would help ease unemployment, there are many, many other situations that contribute to shortfalls, illness and fixed incomes as examples.

Please come out and support the Salvation Army Food Bank, by attending our upcoming Christmas Variety Show at the Opera House, on Saturday, December 18th......featuring some talented performers and old friends of our annual December fundraisers, courtesy of musicians Andrew and Robert Currie , and their many music students who are always willing to help put on a good show for a great cause. Donations of non perishable food items will be accepted as admission, cash donations always welcome. Sponsorships are also needed, if your business would like to contribute to offsetting the cost of the Opera House rental.

Watch this blog site for more updates on the concert line-up.