Central Lakes Association of REALTORS® Helps Stock Shelves and Strengthen Local Food Security at Kawartha Food Share
Building stronger communities starts with meeting people’s most basic needs, and that’s exactly what Central Lakes Association of REALTORS® (CLAR) members set out to do. During their 2026 REALTORS Care® Day, a dozen REALTOR® volunteers came together to support Kawartha Food Share by helping to replenish food bank shelves and provide meaningful support to people experiencing food insecurity.
REALTOR® volunteers were hands-on as they helped to sort and organize donated food in the warehouse in preparation for distribution. In addition to donating their time, volunteers collected and delivered food donations to the facility throughout the morning.
“Right now, food banks are the most important thing that we wanted to donate our time to,” said Wendy Giroux, CEO of CLAR. “Food bank use is up 35%, so it’ s an important time for REALTORS® to give back to the community.”
Access to nutritious food plays an important role in helping individuals and families maintain stable housing. For households that face financial hardship, food assistance can ease pressure on limited budgets and allow resources to be directed towards housing and other essential needs. Organizations like Kawartha Food Share help strengthen the safety net that enables people to remain housed while navigating difficult circumstances.
Serving as the central distribution warehouse for emergency food in the Peterborough, Ontario, area, Kawartha Food Share works with 37 member agencies to provide food to local food banks, meal programs, housing projects and food cupboards. Six of these partner agencies are housing providers including emergency shelters, supportive housing programs and Peterborough Housing Corporation locations. They help to ensure residents have access to nutritious food alongside essential housing services.
Kawartha Food Share supported more than 14,000 individuals each month and distributed over $10 million worth of food and emergency care needs in 2025. By connecting food assistance with housing supports, this vast network helps people meet their immediate needs while working toward greater long-term stability.
“It’s important for community members to know that food insecurity doesn’t discriminate,” shared Mackenzie McIlwain, general manager at Kawartha Food Share. “Food insecurity can be occurring in your neighbour’s home, your teacher’s home, your co-worker’s home. Our goal is to have a world where everybody is food secure and they don’t need people like us.”
CLAR’s REALTORS Care® Day wrapped up a total of three days of coordinated volunteer efforts to help with food insecurity across their region, with members also volunteering at Kawartha Lakes Food Source and Gleaners Food Bank earlier in the week. All three organizations are among CLAR’s five 2026 Charities of Choice, reflecting the association’s decision to prioritize supporting food security across the region.
“Supporting organizations like Kawartha Food Share helps make our communities stronger, and it’s really important to support the communities that we live and work in as REALTORS®,” said Christine Riley, president at CLAR.
CLAR members’ impact on their community goes beyond just one day. They give back throughout the year through monthly charitable contributions and fundraising initiatives including golf tournaments, holiday events and community fundraisers that support local charities across the region. Through these collective efforts to help others meet essential needs like food security, CLAR members are contributing to building stronger, healthier communities where more people have the stability they need to thrive.
