On December 15, 2020, Macdonald Youth Services and Marymound staff unloaded a semi truck carrying 18,000 lb of food in -43°C for 12 to 14 hours. Marymound’s Futures and Babies’ Best Start office in Thompson was the distribution center. To support the community at large, Marymound distributed the food to families it supports as well as to 15 non-profits, including Macdonald Youth Services, a local boys and girls club, a local women’s shelter, The Salvation Army, and a homeless shelter.
December 15 wasn’t the first time Macdonald Youth Services and Marymound staff unloaded a semi truck overflowing with food. At the end of October, they received a shipment of 13,000 lb of food. Both shipments combined fed more than 200 families. “The euphoric feeling we felt at the end is indescribable,” says Penny Brenton, Program Coordinator for Marymound’s Futures and Babies’ Best Start. “We did exactly what Marymound is all about: we found the good.”
The partnership between Marymound and Macdonald Youth Services began when Macdonald Youth Services was writing a grant for one shipment of 13,000 lb of food and a second shipment of 18,000 lb of food. In order to be eligible for the grant, Macdonald Youth Services needed a warehouse where they could receive the food. Since they didn’t have one, they reached out to Marymound which has its Futures and Babies’ Best Start office located in an old Sears building.
To ensure their community’s safety, Macdonald Youth Services and Marymound staff wore masks, practiced social distancing measures, and brought boxes of food to families who remained in their cars. “I’m so proud of my staff and of Macdonald Youth Services’s staff,” says Penny. “They’re willingness to pull together and work in -43°C is incredible. I could not be more grateful.”
