The Downtown Mission in Windsor has changed the date of its annual Thanksgiving meal.
Instead of being held over the weekend, it is on Tuesday.
"There are other community groups doing Thanksgiving meals during the weekend, so we just wanted to give our guests and other community members who come to us for a meal another option on another day," explained Executive Director Rukshini Ponniah-Goulin.
For six years now, Windsor philanthropist Sam Sinjari has donated the meal. He sent along ten turkeys, three large hams, and 100 lbs of potatoes.
Ponniah-Goulin said the food bank typically sees an increase in food and cash donations around Thanksgiving and Christmas, but the need exists at other times of the year.
Demand has also surged 55 per cent from last year, and Ponniah Goulin said without the support of the community and the Windsor-Essex Foodbank Association, the Mission would not be able to keep up with the need.
"Last year at this time, I would drive by our food bank, and I would sometimes see one or two people in line. Lately, though, you will see a lineup of people every day," she said. "And, it's not two or three. It's anywhere between ten and 30."
Some of those waiting appear to be university or college students, but others are elderly.
"It's heartbreaking," said Ponniah-Goulin.
The food bank has been hit hard by the increase in food prices due to inflation, and she suspects the same factors have impacted donations.
"A lot of people, I think, are having more difficulty donating food items, so we did put out a plea for anyone who can help," she added.
More than 150 people could attend Tuesday's event starting at 11:30 a.m. in the Mission's dining room at 875 Ouellette Avenue.
