NOTL Ukesters donate $2,000 to Newark Neighbours food bank

A $2,000 donation from the Niagara-on-the-Lake Ukesters last weekend will help fill the shelves at the Newark Neighbours food bank. 

“Any amount of money is valuable,” says Cindy Grant, Newark’s board chair. “This donation is extraordinarily generous. Our shelves yet again are pretty low. We had a food drive around Easter, and we’ve had some smaller ones. But our shelves get depleted quickly.”

The Ukesters, a group with 470 members, meet at the NOTL Community Centre each Sunday afternoon to play the four-stringed instrument in a large group setting. About 80 active members pay $15 per month to cover the rental of the room and repairs to some of the group’s equipment. 

Every three months Ukesters leader Alan Ash takes whatever is left over from those fees and makes a donation to a local charity on behalf of the club. In the past, Red Roof Retreat, Hospice Niagara, NOTL Palliative Care and Crossroads Elementary School have been recipients of the $40,000-plus the group has distributed in the past decade.

On Sunday, Grant was invited to the Ukesters’ session to accept the $2,000 cheque and to explain more about the need in the community. 

“We’re now at around 160 households relying on the food bank,” Grant tells The Local. “That’s around 320 individuals. These are by far the highest numbers we’ve ever seen. On average, we get at least 160 visits a month. It just keeps going up and up.”

Grant sees several factors contributing to the increased demand. Inflation, the difficulty many experience finding work and the cost of housing are all mentioned. She adds that there has recently been a spillover of refugees and other temporary residents finding their way into NOTL from Niagara Falls and St. Catharines, many of whom are turning to the food bank. 

“This donation puts us in the fortunate position that we can go out and purchase food to fill the shelves,” says Grant. “We shop for deals, and we try to get wholesale.”

A recent donation from Post Foods Canada of Niagara Falls has resulted in a large amount of cereal on the Newark Neighbours shelves. She also says that there is enough canned tuna, salmon and soups to meet short-term demand. 

“We need coffee, tea, cookies, crackers, peanut butter, pasta, tomato sauce, canned tomatoes,” Grant listed, “and juices, bottled or cans. We can’t seem to keep that on the shelves. The real staples are what we need.”

As for the Ukesters, Ash says the contributions they make to the community through donation dollars and performance are as important to group members as the music making. 

"I can’t tell you how many times group members have told me how grateful they are to do something they love and give back to those in need at the same time," says Ash. "I hear it from their spouses and partners as well. They’re glad their (member) spouse has an outlet they’re passionate about, and with a wink and smile they thank me for getting them out of the house.”