The organizers of this past month's June 27th Miracle are thanking residents across Windsor-Essex for smashing a record for the most food donations collected in a single day.
That is if the Guinness Book of Records had recognized the event.
That small oversight does not dampen the spirits of organizers who released the jaw-dropping final total Tuesday morning, 2,020,500 pounds of food. It is enough to feed 28,850 households or 67,316 individuals for a year.
Guinness Book of Records or not, it could be a world record.
Organizing committee member Mike Diab admitted it is still hard to process, not just the numbers, but also how the grassroots event itself affected people during a time of vulnerability.
"We know people are already talking about wanting to do it again next year," he said Tuesday morning. "I've been pulled over. I've been stopped walking along the marina here in Leamington. High-fiving me, they want to hug, but they know they couldn't, and they're just so thankful. I don't even know these people."
The process of sorting and distributing food is underway.
"So, every community has a method of getting the food out or the notification of the food that is available," said Diab. "I know in Leamington, we've contacted some of the church groups, United Way, other local groups, Goodfellows."
Armed with lists of families in need, Diab said two callers are arranging deliveries in Leamington, "but other communities have other ways of doing it."
Those in need can also call 211.
In addition to the collection, the initiative was miraculously put together in only four weeks.
"An initiative this big with so many logistics to be addressed and coordinated would normally take months to organize," said fellow organizing committee member Josh Lane. "Several thousand people were mobilized to visit thousands of doorsteps, and almost 50 drop-off depots safely. I'm still shocked we pulled it off."
More than 10,000 volunteers from across the region stepped up to pick up donations at 182,000 houses, and apartment buildings in the region spread out over 1,800 square kilometres, all while social distancing.
The Windsor Essex County Food Bank Association, representing 15 area food banks, said it served 149,562 people between April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020. That represents 25,755 unique individuals or 11,324 households. Since the start of the pandemic, the association has already noted a 12 per cent increase in foodbank usage over last year. Many visitors have never accessed help at a food bank before.