Woman who uses Daily Bread Food Bank decides to give back by volunteering

A refugee who had to go to the Daily Bread Food Bank to make ends meet is now volunteering there five hours per day because she says the charity was so "good" to her when she was in need.

Coretta, a mother who arrived in Canada four months ago from Kenya, says things were so bad, she was finding it difficult to cover even basic necessities.

"In the beginning, we used to buy food for ourselves, but it was difficult," she said.

"The money is not enough, so someone told me about the food bank," Coretta told CBC Toronto.

"Once I came and saw the good that it's doing for me, I decided why not help?"

If you would like to donate to a food bank in the coming weeks, CBC's Sounds of the Season food drive is back this holiday season. The annual charity fundraiser will kick off on Dec. 7, with all your donations going towards supporting local food banks in the GTA, including the Daily Bread Food Bank.

CBC News has agreed not to use Coretta's surname to protect her identity.

"I'm a refugee. I'm able to get my necessities in terms of food. My daughter likes pasta; I get pasta, potatoes and veggies. Without the food bank, I don't know how we'd be doing it," she said.

Coretta says the Daily Bread Food Bank is more than just a place for food.

Since she started volunteering, not only has she made friends, she leaves the food bank every day feeling like a new person.

"Just coming, talking to other people, you relieve your stress. It's good to know I'm not alone," Coretta said.

"When I come here, maybe it's a bad morning because I have a lot to think about; by the time I'm leaving here in the evening, I feel like a new person. I get to speak to people and I get to be assured it's going to be just fine."

Great need for services

Meanwhile, as the Christmas season approaches, the Daily Bread Food Bank is gearing up for an influx of people who, like Coretta, are not in a position to afford food and other basic necessities.

Janet Evans, information and referrals volunteer, says they are also seeing a great need for things like housing, furniture, clothing, legal services and financial services.

"We have a fantastic partnership with Toronto Public Health where we have a mobile dental unit that comes through once a month. Our clients can actually come in, be seen by a dentist, as well as get food at the same time," Evans told CBC Toronto.

"That's a great thing for our clients. If they can do more things than one, because transportation costs are out of reach for a lot of our clients."

Evans is asking members of the public to always remember to support their local food bank, not only at Christmas time but throughout the year.

"At this time of year when donations are high and everyone is in the giving spirit, there's a little more to share," Evans said. 

"But in other months, once we start to get towards springtime and through the summer, then donations are not as strong, so there's less food to share," Evans said.

"It's heartbreaking when you have a family come in and they've got their children with them and they need food and there's just not enough on the shelves."