MBC Photos, MBC Graphics
What’s Good in Smiths Falls? Two organizations that have spent years helping their neighbours are discovering how much more they can accomplish by working together.
The Smiths Falls Community Food Bank and Falls Food Hub are building a partnership that could change how residents access food, support and other essential services.
Food Bank Executive Director Natalia Soteroff and Falls Food Hub Operations Lead Ashley Saunders recently joined myFM’s Bob Perreault to discuss their shared vision.
Saunders says the partnership is about recognizing the challenges facing local families and finding ways to respond together.
The two organizations have different approaches to helping people.
While the food bank provides groceries to those experiencing food insecurity, the Hub offers community meals and a welcoming place where residents can connect.
Saunders says those connections are particularly meaningful for people experiencing isolation.
For Soteroff, the partnership creates opportunities to help people beyond what the food bank can offer on its own.
She points to plans for nursing support at the Hub as an example.
Both organizations sometimes serve the same residents, meaning someone who needs additional assistance could potentially be connected with services through the other organization.
The partnership is still developing, but both women are enthusiastic about what it could become.
Soteroff says cooperation gives the organizations an opportunity to learn from each other and explore additional ways to help.
For the people relying on these organizations, that growing relationship could mean fewer gaps in support and more opportunities to find help when they need it.
