The Rotary Club of Stratford has committed $36,000 over three years to a partnership with the United Way of Perth Huron and the Local Community Food Centre.
The food centre will use the money to acquire fresh health staples to be distributed to six local food banks.
The Rotary Club says research found the weekly cost to feed a family of four has skyrocketed in the last five years by 20 per cent to $191.
11 per cent of Perth County Residents report a lack of access to sufficient food, and 12 per cent of people live below the poverty line.
The food centre will use bulk purchasing power to make healthy options like vegetables and meat available to distribution centres.
“I am proud of my fellow Rotarian’s commitment to the issues facing our community. It is exciting to fund infrastructure investments or projects focused on underserviced or international populations, but it is critical that we also address the sometimes invisible but very real issue of poverty and hunger among our neighbors," says Rotary President Charlene Gordon.
Ryan Erb, executive director of the Perth Huron United Way echoed Gordon’s sentiment, stating: “Rotary’s commitment to this important aspect of community health gives us a real chance to make impactful change of a growing problem."