Commentary, Opinion

Holiday giving at the Alliston Food Bank

October 15, 2026   ·   0 Comments

If you have ever dropped off a bag of groceries, organized a food drive, or donated to the Alliston Food Bank, you have helped someone in your community through a difficult time. During the holidays, we see kindness in so many ways, and we are grateful to everyone who thinks of us as they make their plans.

October through December is an especially busy time at the food bank. Generally, 30 to 35% of our annual donations come in during these months. Local businesses collect food, schools organize drives, and families make room in their grocery carts for a few extra items. That support helps us through the holiday season and into the new year.

One question we hear often is, “What do you need most?” It is a good question, because the answer can change from week to week. Something we have plenty of today may be running low after our next shopping day. Before purchasing donations or planning a collection, please check with us for our current most-needed items.

Everyday groceries are always worth considering. Cereal, oatmeal, rice, pasta, canned vegetables, canned fruit and canned fish are examples of foods that can help people put together meals at home. Breakfast foods and ingredients for simple lunches and dinners are useful during the holidays, just as they are year-round.

You don’t need to look for something specifically for the holiday season. We appreciate the thought that goes into holiday treats, but regular pantry items are needed too. Once the holiday celebrations are over, there are still breakfasts to make, lunches to pack and dinners to prepare. A donation of everyday groceries helps with those meals and can be just as thoughtful as something festive.

If your workplace, school, team or community group is organizing a food drive, we would love to hear from you before you get started. We can let you know which items we are short of so you can share that information with everyone taking part. This gives people direction when they shop and helps us receive the foods we need most.

Monetary donations also help a lot. While we receive a wonderful variety of food from the community, we often need items that haven’t been donated in sufficient quantities. Financial contributions allow us to purchase those foods and fill specific gaps on our shelves. If you are unsure what to buy or cannot get out to shop, this is another way to support the food bank.

We are grateful for the support we receive from October through December, but the months after the holidays can be more challenging. Donations often slow down in January, while people continue to turn to us for help with groceries. Keeping our shelves stocked through the winter is just as important as it is during the holiday season.

Food donated over the holidays helps us begin the year, but it does not keep our shelves stocked indefinitely. Groceries continue to go out each shopping day and need to be replaced. Meanwhile, families are still paying rent, buying food and managing household bills. Winter heating costs can make an already difficult budget even harder to stretch.

If you are planning a food drive, consider holding it in the spring or summer. A collection in May, June or during the summer months helps us keep our shelves stocked when donations are often slower. This support helps keep food available year-round, beyond the holiday season. Adding a needed item to your grocery shop or making a regular monetary donation, if your budget allows, also helps us meet our community’s ongoing needs.

We know that giving looks different for everyone. Please know we appreciate what you can contribute. Whether it is one bag from a family or a collection from an entire workplace, we are glad to receive it. To our donors, volunteers, businesses, schools and community groups, thank you for the incredible support you give us during the holidays. We see the effort behind your collections and the care behind your donations. You help us keep food available for our neighbours through the holiday season and long after it has passed.

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