Brockville & Area Food Bank and YMCA Partner for Sustainable Service Delivery

Brockville – Charities have always had to think outside the box to deliver programs to the people they serve; this has become even more true since the pandemic.

Beginning in January, the Brockville and Area Food Bank and YMCA of Eastern Ontario will launch their partnership that will see the Y deliver financial and payroll services for the Food Bank.

The Brockville and Area Food Bank has seen an approximately 100 percent increase in demand for their services, over the past few years, which has increased the volume of accounting requirements, straining the efforts of the Food Bank’s volunteer accountant.

“Until 2022, the Food Bank was completely run by volunteers,” said JoAnne Sytsma, chair of the board of directors for the Brockville and Area Food Bank. “Coming out of the pandemic, we hired our first employee to provide consistency and leadership for our operations. The cooperation between the Food Bank and the Y will see this same level of sustainability for our financial back-of-house.”

The Food Bank sent an RFP (request for proposal) to local agencies in the fall, with the Y being selected for its financial expertise and capacity.

“Being able to offer our services to a like-minded charity is an example of our partnership mindset,” said Rob Adams, CEO, of YMCA of Eastern Ontario. “Charities, governments and other organizations need to work together to ensure we can all serve our communities reliably into the future. We are delighted to be able to provide our financial expertise to the Food Bank and welcome other charities to reach out if they feel we can be of assistance.”

The partnership does not affect either charity’s status as an independent organization but demonstrates a commitment to collaboration and community.