Parker Street food and furniture bank hosted their third annual coat drive today at 2415 Maynard St. About 100 people, families and community members, stood in line to pick up coats, scarves and mittens before winter comes. The event ran from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Romaine Rhoden is Parker Street's director of donor relations and communications. Photo by Sara Gouda.
Last year, Parker Street's Communications Director Romaine Rhoden said they gave out at least 170 coats, and are hoping to give out more this year.
"This is a bit surprising for us this year, we didn't expect this much turnout. That is understandable because of the inflation rate that is affecting the country right now. As you can see in the lines, we have a lot of mixed families we have Syrian families, people from the black community here in Nova Scotia also from the African nation, and migrants," said Rhoden.
Rhoden said the foodbank felt the impact of Hurricane Fiona, as they've noticed a decrease in their donors. They are working hard to get more donations and food drives to serve the community better.
"For the last six months, we have seen a 30 per cent drop in terms of donation in terms of canned items, and so we're trying to get more kitchen items. And especially as we go into the colder season, we're not going to get as many fresh fruits and vegetables," said Rhoden.
Dr. Denise Daley is the executive director of Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank. Photo by Sara Gouda.
Parker Street Executive Director Dr. Denise Daley said this year the drive features collections of different coats, suitable for kids, adults, women, and men, that come in different sizes, along with winter accessories, free of cost to clients in the HRM.
"We always need more volunteers, we have the form on our website. Just fill out the form and let us know your availability. In terms of food drives, it's an ongoing food drive process that we do. Non-perishable items are always welcome, so any canned goods, pasta or rice, please do drop them off at our location 2415 Maynard Street," said Daley.
Community members can also drop off food or clothing items at Parker Street's thrift stores located in Herring Cove, Spryfield and Dartmouth.
Rona Guanzon is standing in line to find coats for herself and her daughter Khadija, as they prepare to spend their first winter in Halifax. Photo by Sara Gouda.
Rona Guanzon from Pakistan, is attending the coat drive for the first time to find winter coats for herself and her daughter Khadija.
"I hope that we can find some good winter jackets because this will be our first time to experience the winter here in Halifax, Nova Scotia," said Guanzon.
Guanzon usually attends Parkers Streets food bank to get food for her family. She said she is happy to currently be living in Halifax because it has a sense of a strong community.
"I think it's is one of the best places I've been to, not just because of the place but I think the best thing in Halifax is the people. So far all the people that we have met have been so kind and helpful to us. My husband and I would be so touched by that, it's like my faith in humanity has been restored when I came here to Halifax," added Guanzon.
Paker Street's next upcoming initiative is their Christmas Hamper program, which has been ongoing for 30 years, and is set to take place in late December. The food bank makes turkey dinners available for registered clients. Last year, the food bank gave out 900 hampers and is aiming to give out 1,000 boxes this year. Members can participate by filling out application forms. Applications are being accepted from Oct. 7-Dec. 7.
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