It has been more than 15 years since the Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank first opened its doors to serve the people of Halifax, Nova Scotia and the surrounding area. The brain child of Melvin and Thelma Boutilier, who were recently honoured by our country and invested into the Order of Canada, the Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank has long been affiliated with the Halifax Seventh-day Adventist Church and more recently with ADRA Canada.
Needs have increased dramatically since the Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank began, and, even with numerous sponsors and volunteers, keeping supply ahead of demand can be difficult. From now until December 31, each of us has the opportunity to help. Through the generosity of a group called the Kiani Foundation, the Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank could receive up to $20 000 from the WinAVote program.
Once every 24 hours, you can point your internet browser to http://winavote.com and click ‘vote now’ beside the listing for the Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank. Yes, you will have to enter your name and email address, but that is a small chore compared to delivering 100 000 bags of groceries as the workers at the food bank did last year. Or compared to giving away more than 7000 pieces of furniture as they did in 2009.
The Boutiliers and all the volunteers at the Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank do so much to help those in the city of Halifax who, for various reasons, cannot help themselves. Let’s do a little something to help them in their efforts: Go to http://winavote.com and vote right now.