World Homeless Day – Ingersoll Food Bank and Thrift Store

In the small southern Ontario town of Ingersoll, The Salvation Army Food Bank and the Thrift Store are closely connected to the community it serves.

The combined Thrift Store and Food Bank helps vulnerable individuals and families offset their grocery bills to pay for housing and other essentials. There is also a medical bus that pulls up to the building to provide access to health care and medical advice for those who would otherwise not be able to see a doctor.

“The store only exists to support the food bank in this town. We are able to support people with their food needs by cutting down the cost they are spending on food that can then go to accommodation, healthcare or personal needs,” says Kelly Bula, a community care worker at The Salvation Army.

Paulette Woodcront is a regular food bank and Thrift Store client in Ingersoll.

“The food bank gets me through Christmas, and it gets me through the month. If I didn’t have the food bank, rent wouldn’t get paid or the phone bill wouldn’t get paid,” Paulette says.

In Ingersoll, the Thrift Store and food bank is so much more than a store – it is more of a community centre and a place to keep up relationships.

“People coming into the store just want someone to say hello and to have someone say their name, recognize them and to be glad they’re here,” Kelly says.

“We are a listening ear for people that don’t have other people to talk to and we’re a place for people to reach out and we’re here to show we care.”

The Salvation Army and the Ingersoll Food Bank and Thrift Store is ‘More Than a Shelter.’