By Chad Ingram

The Maple, Beech and Cameron Lakes’ Area Property Owners Association is taking its annual donation campaign for the Minden Community Food Centre online amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Normally, members of the association’s executive station themselves at St. Peter’s Church during the Thanksgiving weekend, collecting food donations as residents close up their cottages for the season, along with cash donations. The association itself matches cash donations up to a total of $1,000.

This year, there will be no gathering at the church, but the MBC executive is still encouraging its members, along with any other county residents or other lake associations, to make a contribution to the food centre this Thanksgiving.
“We don’t really feel comfortable asking members of our association to sit and collect food,” said executive member Charlie O’Connor, pointing out that many members of the association are elderly.

“As we go from Thanksgiving towards winter, which is hard enough around here at the best of times, I think it’s important that we get people back into giving and as broadly as possible,” said executive member Andy Muirhead.

There was a large spike in demand at the county’s food banks near the beginning of the pandemic, as people were laid off of work. Minden Community Food Centre manager Joanne Barnes said that demand dipped somewhat as a number of county residents went on the Canadian Emergency Relief Benefit, but now, with the benefit ending, is seeing more people through the doors again. “So a lot of people we haven’t seen in four months, and now they are coming back,” Barnes said.

Donations of food can be made at the food centre at 24 Newcastle St. in Minden on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Online donations can be done through canadahelps.org or e-transfers can be emailed to mindenfoodbankpthorntt@gmail. com. Cheques can be made out to the Minden Community Food Centre and mailed to P.O. Box 893, Minden, Ont., K0M 2K0.