Mr. Speaker, food affordability remains a serious challenge for families in my community and across the country. Today, I want to recognize some of the unsung heroes who are meeting that challenge head-on. Founded just six years ago by Jim and Jacintha Collins, Harvest Hands in St. Thomas has rescued more than 45 million dollars' worth of surplus food, nearly $20 million last year alone.
What started in a small church space is now a major distribution centre with a fleet of trucks and nearly 300 volunteers. Harvest Hands rescues unsold and surplus food from farms and producers and then sorts and ships it out to more than 380 partner organizations, including food banks and shelters. To quote Harvest Hands, “We are the trucks, the warehouse, the volunteers, the cold storage, the sorting tables, and the systems that move food at scale. Organizations serve the people. We serve the organizations.”
Harvest Hands is tackling food insecurity with compassion, dedication and action. I thank the Collins family and every volunteer for making this possible.