Caledon East church implements food cupboard for community

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A local church is taking direct action to address food insecurity.

On August 28, St. James Anglican Church announced it had implemented a food cupboard outside of the church, located at 6025 Old Church Road.

The cupboard operates on a “take what you need, leave what you can” basis. 

St. James Anglican Church is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year, and to mark this milestone, the food cupboard was created.

It's being called “The Little Food Cupboard” and was made possible thanks to a donation from the Naylor family, who wanted to honour the memory of their mother, Kay Naylor Peacock.

She was a long-time supporter of outreach projects at St. James Anglican Church.

The cupboard was built by members of the church and has been purposefully decorated with images of monarch butterflies, which are known as a symbol of resilience.

Members of the St. James Anglican Church congregation are stocking the cupboard with non-perishable food items and toiletries. The Caledon community at large is also welcome to contribute to the cupboard, though the church wants to note very large items may not fit into the cupboard.

Donations to the food cupboard can be delivered to the church office when it's open. Donations can also be delivered at any time to a marked tote box, which has been left at the eastern entrance to the church office. 

The food cupboard itself is at the eastern entrance to the church parking lot and is accessible to the street and handicap parking.

Reverend Michelle Jones, the priest in charge of St. James Anglican Church, said she sees the food cupboard as a sign of solidarity in difficult times. 

“Let's all pitch in and care for one another,” said Jones.