As frigid January winds swept through Newmarket this week, a small paper notice taped to the community fridge on Timothy Street marked a significant shift in how some of our most vulnerable neighbors access emergency food.
The Newmarket Food Pantry announced it has ended 24/7 access to its community fridge program, restricting hours to match the organization’s operating schedule – effectively cutting off nighttime emergency food access that many relied upon.
“It wasn’t an easy decision,” explained Judith Bunting, operations coordinator at the Newmarket Food Pantry, during our conversation at their Timothy Street location. “The overnight vandalism was becoming unsustainable. We found food deliberately wasted, doors left open, and sometimes items that shouldn’t be there at all.”
The community fridge program, launched in 2021 as part of pandemic response measures, quickly became a lifeline for those experiencing food insecurity across York Region. Unlike traditional food bank services requiring registration and scheduled pickups, the community fridge offered anonymous, barrier-free access to fresh and non-perishable foods regardless of the hour.
For Jason Mercer, a 43-year-old construction worker who often works night shifts, the change presents real challenges. “I’d stop by around 11 p.m. sometimes, when I got off late shifts and had nothing at home,” he told me outside the pantry. “With prices what they are now, that fridge helped me stretch to month’s end when things got tight.”
The timing couldn’t be more difficult. According to Food Banks Canada’s HungerCount 2023 report, food bank usage across the country has reached unprecedented levels, with nearly 2 million client visits recorded in March 2023 alone – a 32 percent increase from pre-pandemic numbers. York Region’s statistics mirror this alarming trend.
Councillor Grace Simon expressed concern about the impact on community members who work non-traditional hours. “We understand the practical challenges the food pantry faces, but we also recognize this creates a gap in our social safety net,” she noted during Tuesday’s council meeting. “We’re looking at whether the town might offer alternative locations with better security infrastructure.”
Behind the decision lies a familiar tension between service provision and resource management. The pantry, like many community organizations, operates on a limited budget with stretched staffing. Each incident of vandalism diverts funds from food acquisition to repairs and replacement.
“The community fridge costs us about $5,000 annually to maintain when operating normally,” explained Bunting. “When you add repeated repairs from vandalism, that figure nearly doubled last year – money that could have purchased thousands of meals.”
The restricted hours now match the pantry’s regular schedule: Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon.
For Aisha Nweke, a personal support worker and single mother of two, the change forces difficult adjustments. “I finish my evening shift at 8 p.m. most days,” she explained. “Sometimes our groceries run short by week’s end, and that fridge meant I could grab something quickly for my kids’ lunches the next day without having to choose between gas money and food.”
York Region’s 2023 Homelessness and Housing Stability Report indicates food insecurity often acts as an early warning sign of broader housing vulnerability, with households frequently sacrificing food budgets to maintain housing payments. The report noted that 14% of York Region households experienced some form of food insecurity last year.
Community activist group Newmarket Connected has organized a meeting next Tuesday at the public library to discuss possible community-led solutions. “We need to think creatively about addressing both the security concerns and the access needs,” said organizer Samir Khan. “Perhaps a network of smaller refrigerators hosted by businesses that already operate extended hours could help bridge the gap.”
The food pantry board hasn’t ruled out returning to 24/7 access if security improvements can be implemented. “We’re actively looking at grant opportunities for better outdoor lighting, surveillance systems, and potentially a more secure enclosure,” said board chair Michael Thornhill. “Our mission remains providing food with dignity, and we recognize the importance of accessibility.”
For now, those in need of emergency food assistance outside regular hours are directed to regional crisis lines that can coordinate emergency food delivery in extreme situations, though these services typically prioritize families with children.
The pantry continues to welcome donations of non-perishable foods and fresh produce during operating hours, with particular need for protein sources like canned fish, beans, and peanut butter, which disappeared quickly from the community fridge.
As I left the food pantry yesterday afternoon, volunteers were restocking the now-locked refrigerator with fresh vegetables, milk, and prepared meals – nourishment that will help many in our community but remain inaccessible to those who arrive after closing time, when hunger doesn’t follow a schedule.
