For two decades, The Hamilton Dream Center has counted on a straightforward handshake to keep its shelves stocked. However, that long-time partnership with nearby grocery stores has come to an unexpected and quiet conclusion.
“We had five stores and now we’ve gone down to one store,” said Rebekah Hill, executive director of The Hamilton Dream Center.
The Hamilton Dream Center reports it’s dealing with a significant shortage after losing most of its grocery donations.
This non-profit helps around 250 people weekly – mainly seniors and working families grappling with rising expenses. But now, their primary food source is gone.
Hill explains that for twenty years, verbal agreements with local Food Basics stores provided damaged but still safe food, which accounted for about 90 percent of what they distributed. Now, only one store remains.
“It was shocking, really shocking, after 20 years to find out, nope, sorry, not you anymore,” said Hill.
She notes there was no prior notice. They only discovered the donations had stopped when the usual pick-up calls were absent.
The shift comes from the corporate level.
Parent company Metro Inc. stated it is centralizing surplus distribution through a partner who will take over donations to food banks.
Metro tells CHCH News it continues to support food banks throughout Ontario.
It mentioned, “Through One More Bite, METRO’s food recovery program, our Hamilton stores recover unsold food and donate it to local food banks partnered through Feed Ontario, including The Hamilton Food Share. This program has been in place in Hamilton since 2019.”
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The dream center isn’t part of the Hamilton Food Share network.
Despite losing four of their five grocery partners, Hill insists quitting isn’t an option. They’re remaining open because nearly 1,000 people depend on them for food each month.
“We do have other things to give – one would be the bread from COBS Bakery. Amazon gives us cleaning products and we do get meat from a grocery store. We have enough to help; we just don’t have an abundance. And what that means is our food bank supply looks different when they come in to shop but we’ll still be here. We have no plans of closing,” said Hill.
Local residents are noticing the empty shelves with increasing concern.
“It’s really concerning. I mean, we all know how much groceries cost these days and I think people need help more than ever before,” said one local resident.
“I think it’s a difficult time – difficult for seniors on a limited income,” said another resident.
After sharing their situation on social media, they received an immediate response – an overwhelming show of support from the community.
“The community is rallying around us and doing food drives and sending in some cash so we can buy groceries. So it’s been a pleasant experience in spite of the difficulty,” said Hill.
The dream center is currently looking for new suppliers and says it urgently needs staples like cereal and rice. You can visit The Hamilton Dream Centre website to learn how to help.
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