Food Relief Network - West Parry Sound

08/27/2026

Community connections in action!

Had the pleasure of speaking today at the Parry Sound Friendship Centre lunch, sharing all things FRN with our incredible referring partners — plus a bonus deep-dive into two more of our CARE Coalition Parry Sound programs.

There’s nothing like getting back to basics with the people who make our referrals possible. Grateful for partners like the Friendship Centre who show up, ask great questions, and keep this work moving forward.

Miigwetch!

08/16/2026

This is another busy week. We already have 2 reversals lined up for this week.

If you’re not asked on Mon or Tues by your team captain to help but you’re able to, please send us a DM as we are most definitely going to need help again. Thanks! 🍏

08/05/2026

Good morning!

Yes, on this ‘short’ week we have our second referral. We are working hard to fulfill it, and we know that sometimes summer is a different pace for everyone.

We are trying not to use too many teams twice, but we’re also struggling a bit to fulfill our second referral.

If you haven’t been asked yet this week, and/or you’re in a place to purchase a second item, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us today!

With thanks,
The Food Relief team via Care Co. 💜🍏

07/13/2026

One-Time Relief: Why the Food Relief Network Isn’t a Food Bank

We keep seeing these two get lumped together, so we wanted to clear it up.

Food banks are ongoing — you can go back next week, next month, next year. That’s the job, and it’s a necessary one.

Our program isn’t that. The Food Relief Network (unique to the West Parry Sound Area) is built to catch someone once — in the moment something’s gone sideways, and they need a bridge, not a subscription.

That’s on purpose. It means we can move fast without a heavy intake process. It means help shows up when the crisis is happening, not weeks later. And it means the resource keeps circulating to the next household instead of the same people leaning on it indefinitely.

Neither model is better — they solve different problems. But if you’ve ever wondered why we’re upfront that this is one moment of support, not ongoing — that’s why.

Should you want to know more about the previous program, called Food Share, please let us know, and we can share more on the wonderful program that was almost replicated to continue this great food security mission almost 30 years ago!

07/02/2026

Sharing a little update from our umbrella organization, CARE Coalition Parry Sound which has some stats about our Food Relief program.

Two years ago, on a drive home from dropping our son off at his first camp of the summer, something quietly clicked into place.

A friend who was making a generous donation to our Summer Snack Bag program had mentioned something that had been sitting with me, "If you could provide charitable tax receipts, you'd be able to secure more donations". And somewhere on that drive home, windows probably down, summer just beginning to feel like summer — I thought, well, I can do this.

A quick Canva session later, CARE Coalition was born. 🎉

𝑪𝑨𝑹𝑬 𝑪𝒐𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 — 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑨𝒔𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒇 & 𝑬𝒏𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 — was created to be the umbrella organization bringing together three food initiatives that were already making a difference in our community: the Food Relief Network - West Parry Sound (revived mid-Covid and rebranded with new energy), Thanksgiving Event - PS Area Turkeys for Tummies (which nearly tripled in registrations during the pandemic), and SUMMER SNACK BAGS, which had just launched that same year.

Two years in, here's what this community has made possible:

🍎 Food Relief Network — 83 families served (122 adults + 133 kids)
🦃 Turkeys for Tummies — 299 families
🍉 Summer Snack Bags — 441 families

Those numbers grow every year. And while we're not surprised — the rising cost of groceries is real and it's hitting families hard — we are more motivated than ever.

None of this happens without YOU. Our volunteers do it all: team coordination, admin, running, driving across the wide radius of West Parry Sound, packing, and showing up on event days with everything they've got. Our board — a group of incredibly talented, incredibly busy women — bring their skills to every bit of background work that makes these programs run. I am genuinely privileged to work alongside them.

And our community? You always answer the call. Whether it's a large anonymous donation, purchasing specific items, gift cards, grocery points, or simply sharing a post so our programs reach the families who need them — it all matters. (A huge thank you to the Tim Hortons Smile Cookie Campaign for choosing us — that support was a game-changer.)

We're still working our way through the CRA process to become a registered charity (paperwork mountain, we see you 👀), but we are getting closer, and we are not slowing down.

Thank you. Merci. Miigwetch.

To everyone who has been part of anything CARE Co — whatever the program, whatever the role — we are so grateful.

~ Krista, Founder

06/29/2026

To our great volunteers - this is a quick reminder that we still operate throughout the summer season.

We are often a little bit quieter in the summer, but it is great to let your team captain know (or the coordinators if you're a driver) if you're going to be away for more than a few days.....unless you're one of those quick ones to respond to your phone even when you're on holidays!

We hope that everyone's summer is off to a great start!

Thanks,
CARE Coalition Parry Sound Board and Food Relief Coordinators

06/05/2026

Sharing one of the other programs that CARE Coalition Parry Sound offers.

We have lost the Summer Snack Bag page somehow, so we’d be appreciative if you could share to spread the word that the program is back with 4 dates this summer!

It's back!

Care Coalition is proud to present our 3rd Annual Summer Snack Bag Program, and we are so excited to keep this tradition going for another summer.

This year we have four pick-up dates at the HUB, and registration opens one date at a time — so keep your eyes peeled!

2026 Pick-Up Dates:

July 7
July 21
August 4
August 18

Registration for our first pick-up (July 7) goes LIVE on June 15th — mark your calendars now so you don't miss your spot!

If you joined us last year (or the year before), you already know the drill — same great location, same easy set-up, same commitment to making sure families have some fun treats for the kids this summer.

New to the program? We'd love to have you. Stay tuned for registration details and share this with a family who could use it!

06/04/2026

Here’s an updated list of our referring organizations. We’re happy that this list continues to grow - what a great community we live in!

04/14/2026

We have had a few team members reach out to us to make sure that they have not missed a request (and you haven't!). It's been quieter these last few weeks.

But it has been the opposite at Parry Sound Harvest Share, so if you're able to help them to fill their shelves (they have the most needed items listed every week) that would be an amazing thing. Some staples are needed - like peanut butter, Kraft Dinner, spagetti and tuna.

Thanks for being great team members, and helping out in our community!