Take the One Bag Challenge to Stock Food Bank Shelves in Chatham-Kent

The One Bag Challenge is on at The Salvation Army Chatham-Kent Ministries to help keep local residents and families fed.

During the month of April, people are being asked to purchase a bag of food for donation to The Salvation Army food bank in Chatham-Kent. Donors can upload a photo of their purchase to social media, tagging @cksalvationarmy in the post, along with five other friends, family members or neighbours, challenging them to also purchase a bag. They would then tag another five people.

Nicole Shaw, Community and Family Services manager for The Salvation Army Chatham-Kent, says items in demand to keep food bank shelves stocked include toilet paper, hygiene products, school snacks, peanut butter, canned fruit and vegetables, or any non-perishable food item.

“We’re seeing a lot of new people coming in, people who have never been to a food bank before, including people with two incomes who don’t have enough left over at the end of the month to purchase food,” Nicole says.

Demand at the four Salvation Army food bank locations in Chatham-Kent is on the rise, due to increasing cost of living and food prices. In 2022, 5,234 visits were made to the food bank, up from 3,361 in 2021. Nicole says people who would normally donate to the food bank are now struggling to purchase their own groceries.

“The One Bag Challenge is a fun social activity that doesn’t cost too much for one person, but when multiplied by challenging others to do the same, it allows us to support more families in need. Instead of sharing the wealth, people can share the giving.”

Donations to the One Bag Challenge can be dropped off at any of the four Salvation Army food bank locations in Chatham, Wallaceburg, Ridgetown or Blenheim, to ensure The Salvation Army can be there to assist residents of Chatham-Kent in times of need. More information can be found at www.cksalvationarmy.org/one-bag-challenge/.