'Answered call to an urgent need': Firefighters make deliveries to those in need

Four firefighters in the region are delivering food within the Food Bank of York Region's network

Yorkreigon.com
March 12, 2021
Aileen Zangouei

Firefighters from across York Region have signed on to become delivery truck drivers for the Food Bank of York Region (FNYR) helping them with their shortage in drivers.

Three full-time firefighters and one retired firefighters are the main drivers for the collection and distribution of the daily food donations provided by the FBYR to its network of front-line organizations.

They also deliver food through the COVID-19 Home Delivery program when needed.

"Getting drivers before the COVID-19 pandemic, was already hard," Alex Bilotta, CEO and founder of the FBYR, said. "Each driver must have a spotless DZ licence held for over three years, before our insurance company will cover them. The need for drivers in the distribution industry was already urgent.

Now we face even harder times with the coronavirus impact. We thought we’d try to reach out to any firefighters in York Region as they all hold a DZ licence, and they, thankfully, answered our call.”

The firefighters have all be employed by the FBYR as DZ delivery drivers in their off-duty time and are being scheduled to carry-out delivery shifts around their full-time firefighting work weeks.

"It was an answered call to an urgent need for drivers at the FBYR to ensure more food assistance is provided across the region," a media release from the FBYR reads.

The firefighters have also begun their training with the FBYR before the pandemic, alongside Bilotta. According to the media release, they were taught how to sort, pack, load and unload the refrigerated delivery trucks, learned the scheduled delivery routes and met with people running that agencies the FBYR supports.

With the added extra qualified delivery drivers, the FBYR can operate at a more efficient level and deliver more food to more agencies and make more collections of food donations.

The FBYR is the regional food hub network serving Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Whitchurch-Stouffville, Newmarket, Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Georgina and King. They source, collect, warehouse and deliver surplus fresh, frozen and non-perishable food donations for over 80 local front-line direct service agencies within their network.