A Reflection on 2020: Wilton Group Gives Back
It goes without saying that 2020 was a challenging year. As our team at Wilton Consulting Group reflected on the past twelve months, however, we realized just how fortunate we were, especially within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only have we had enough work to keep us busy, but the projects that our team has had the privilege to work on were all interesting and meaningful as well. While we miss getting together with clients, collaborators, and stakeholders in person, we’ve had fun with our efforts to make videoconferencing calls as engaging as possible. (This task is not always an easy one!)
In order to express our gratitude for the continued opportunities to work on these interesting projects, we wanted to give back to an organization that helps vulnerable people cope during these difficult times. As most of our work is related to sustainability and forward-looking initiatives for the Ontario and Canadian agriculture and agri-food sectors, something related to the food system was a natural choice.
With our move earlier this year to the beautiful community of Fergus, Ontario, we wanted to keep our efforts local too. So, we landed on the Centre Wellington Food Bank. (They also happen to be our neighbours at our new location!) This organization provides over 9,000 meals yearly to those individuals and families in our community seeking help.
As the pandemic has taken its toll on so many businesses and organizations within our communities, food banks across Canada saw an initial spike in demand in March followed by operational challenges due to staffing, supply chain issues, and safety concerns. And, just like so many businesses and organizations, our local food bank had to adapt to the new realities brought about by COVID-19.
We know the root causes of poverty are multi-faceted and complex. Organizations such as local food banks, Feed Ontario, and Food Banks Canada are working on research and recommendations to reduce some of the root causes of hunger, including poverty. All of us must do our part to ensure the most vulnerable members of our communities have dignified access to food while also working towards systemic changes to reduce poverty. We hope our modest donation to our local food bank will contribute to this important work.
In making this local contribution, we follow in the footsteps of so many farm organizations that make significant contributions to Ontario’s food banks. The Ontario Milk Program, for example, has been in existence for over 20 years, and participants contribute almost 1 million litres of milk annually. The egg, pork, beef, chicken, and turkey sectors also participate in the fresh food programs through Feed Ontario.
On behalf of our team at Wilton Consulting Group, we hope you all have a peaceful, safe, and refreshing holiday season.
And it should go without saying by now: Socially distance, wear a mask, and wash your hands!
