Food for Thought Blog

The Faces of Hunger: Paulette’s story

September 21st, 2023Awareness, Stories, Agencies

Everyone has a story—and by sharing stories about food insecurity in Waterloo region, we hope to raise awareness and educate our community that hunger can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. This is Paulette’s story.

Volunteers at Kingdom Community International.

Every Friday from noon to 4 p.m., about 20 to 30 community members pick up a food hamper at Kingdom Community International in Kitchener, one of 120 community programs and agency partners with the Community Food Assistance Network that receives food from The Food Bank of Waterloo Region. 

Once food from The Food Bank arrives, volunteers help unload the truck, pack the hampers with a variety of dry, fresh, and frozen food, and distribute the food. Paulette Williams oversees the volunteers and organizes the distribution of hampers. She and many of the other volunteers have been volunteering with the program for over 10 years. The program itself has been running for over 25 years. 

“When I was asked if I would like to volunteer, I didn’t hesitate,” Paulette says. “I was a single parent. I used to use The Food Bank. I know how helpful it was for me to feed my children.” 

Paulette remembers the days when the Community Food Assistance Network didn’t exist and Kingdom Community International had to buy their own food. She’s incredibly grateful that the program is a part of the Network and receives support from The Food Bank. 

“There’s no stress on anybody since we don’t pay for the food anymore,” she says. “We really love what we do. I have awesome volunteers that I work with.” 

Over the years, Paulette and the other volunteers have gotten to know many of the community members who access their food support services. 

“The most rewarding part is when we see the smile on their faces and can give them what they want,” she says. “Sharing is caring. We do it out of love. We want to serve the community.” 

To learn more about Kingdom Community International, visit kingdomcommunityintl.churchcenter.com.