December is often described as a season of togetherness — a time of shared meals, warm kitchens, and full tables. But across Northumberland County, December is also a time when absence can feel louder than presence.
Food insecurity increases sharply during the winter months, and December, in particular, places added strain on individuals, families, and community organizations alike. Rising costs, fixed incomes, limited transportation, and seasonal isolation converge, especially in rural communities and for seniors aging in place. What we’re seeing today challenges old assumptions about who experiences food insecurity. Increasingly, it includes people we might once have described as “average”: households with two working adults, people who have never before needed to ask for help, neighbours quietly navigating rising costs behind closed doors , where shame often surfaces in place of the self-compassion that once carried them through.
At United Way Northumberland, this reality isn’t just reflected in data, it’s echoed in our conversations with local food banks, community centres, and meal programs across the county. Again and again, partners tell us the same thing: the need is growing, and it’s growing quietly.
That’s where Northumberland Eats comes in.
A Community-Centred Response
Northumberland Eats is United Way Northumberland’s year-round food security program, designed to respond not only to hunger, but also to isolation, dignity, and connection. While the program includes five interconnected streams: Feed, Grow, Seed, Thrive, and Learn, our December investment focuses intentionally on two: Feed and Grow.
These streams recognize a simple but powerful truth: food is nourishment, but gathering is healing.
This December, we responded to increased demand by supporting 31 food banks, food hubs, and community meal programs across Northumberland County, up from 22 the previous year. Every eligible applicant received funding, a reflection of both the scale of need and the strength of community response.
Our support is distributed equitably across the county, ensuring rural communities, small towns, and Indigenous partners are not left behind.
Feed Stream: Meals That Create Connection
The Feed Stream supports community meal programs offering low-cost or free meals — places where people can sit together, share food, and feel seen.
From monthly soup programs and breakfasts to collective kitchens and mobile meal services, these initiatives provide far more than calories. They offer routine, warmth, conversation, and a reason to leave the house during the coldest months of the year.
Through this stream, we supported programs in:
Alnwick-Haldimand Township
- St. George’s Anglican Church – Monthly Soup Program
- St. Andrews Church – Social Justice Fund for Christmas Hampers
Cramahe Township
- Colborne/Cramahe Monthly Luncheon Program
Hamilton Township
- Harwood Hall – Monthly Breakfast Program
Municipality of Brighton
- Suppers Ready, Codrington Centre – Breakfast Program
Municipality of Trent Hills
- Abundance Project – a community based organization focused on promoting healthy eating & sustainable growing practices
- 7 Hills Community Pantry – Warkworth
- Campbellford Fare Share Food Bank
- Hastings Roseneath Fare Share Food Bank
Town of Cobourg
- Trinity United Church – Weekly Brown Bag Lunch Program
- Hope and Light – Loaves of Care
- The Salvation Army – Weekly Mobile Kitchen
Town of Port Hope
- Access Community Services – Collective Kitchen
- Community Health Centres Northumberland – Free Meal Program
- St. John’s Anglican Church – Emmaus Café
Each program reflects the unique needs of its community, but all share a common purpose: reducing isolation while meeting basic needs.
Grow Stream: Strengthening Food Security at Home
The Grow Stream supports food banks and cupboards with access to proteins and fresh produce — helping households stretch limited budgets and maintain dignity in how they feed themselves and their families.
This December, Grow Stream funding supported:
Alderville First Nation
- Alderville First Nation Food Bank – Christmas Turkey Program
Alnwick-Haldimand Township
- Community Health Centres Northumberland – expansion of pay-what-you-can weekly market into Grafton
Cramahe Township
- Colborne/Cramahe Food Bank
- Community Health Centres Northumberland – expansion of pay-what-you-can weekly market into Colborne
Hamilton Township
- Community Works Food Bank – Bewdley
Municipality of Brighton
- Brighton Fare Share Food Bank
Municipality of Trent Hills
- Campbellford Fare Share Food Bank (second allocation for preparation)
- 7 Hills Pantry – Warkworth (second allocation for their meal preparation program)
- Hastings Roseneath Fare Share
Town of Cobourg
- Northumberland Fare Share Food Bank – Cobourg
- The Salvation Army – Cobourg
- Halcyon Place
- Rebound Child & Youth Services
Town of Port Hope
- The Salvation Army – Port Hope Food Cupboard
- Northumberland Fare Share Food Bank – Port Hope
In many cases, food banks received multiple allocations — not as duplication, but as recognition of layered roles: emergency response, meal preparation, and community outreach.
Why This Work Matters
The story here isn’t just about food, not for us anyway.
It’s about providing dignity, access, and community connection in rural and Indigenous communities at a time of year when absence can feel louder than presence.
Research tells us that food insecurity and social isolation are deeply connected to mental health outcomes. Our community partners tell us the same, in lived, human terms. A shared meal can interrupt loneliness. A familiar face can restore dignity. A warm space can offer relief far beyond what’s on the plate.
United Way Northumberland’s role is to listen for patterns, identify gaps, and bring people together in response. Northumberland Eats exists because hunger is not an isolated issue, and neither is the solution.
As winter continues, so does this work. And it continues because of the organizations, volunteers, donors, and community members who believe that everyone deserves not just food, but belonging.
