The Municipal Food Team hit the road at the end of April to distribute some shelf stable goods to Community Pantries across HRM. Staff distributed Made with Local granola bars and snack packs, the latter of which were received from Second Harvest. After three days on the road, over 3000 granola bars and snack packs were delivered to 19 Community Pantries all across the Municipality!

This distribution to Pantries is part of an advancement of Recommendation 14 from the Action Plan: supporting community-based programs and grassroots initiatives that provide dignified access to good food. Community Pantries are vital low-barrier food resources, grounded in mutual aid “take what you need” principles, that allow community members to support each other in accessing food.  As many pantries are grassroots and volunteer-led, they often don’t qualify for more traditional funding models. At the same time, they are facing a growing demand, with stocked pantries often being cleared out within the day.

The Community Food Truck will continue to play an important role in moving surplus, donated, and purchased food to Pantries.

Check out the pictures below from our distribution days!