A local not-for-profit food sharing program now has a location in Hawkesbury.
The grand opening for Arks Harvest’s new location at 548 Main Street East was held on Saturday, November 2. Hawkesbury Mayor Robert Lefebvre and Councillor Yves Paquette attended the ribbon cutting.
Arks Harvest opened its first location on High Street in Vankleek Hill in 2022. The program also has a location in Cornwall.
The aim of Arks Harvest is to provide low-cost, healthy food to area residents. It is not a food bank, but it does not operate like a regular grocery store either. Arks Harvest receives its items from local farmers whenever possible. Items that do not grow locally like citrus fruits come from wholesalers. It is an entirely not-for-profit organization operated by volunteers. No membership is required, but people can purchase a membership in the organization. Arks Harvest is governed by a four-member board.
Arks Harvest President Nikole Jalbert said there is a demand for affordable, fresh food in Hawkesbury.
“A lot of our customers are in Hawkesbury,” she said.
Jalbert said many Hawkesbury customers did not have the transportation or time to get to Vankleek Hill so opening a Hawkesbury location made sense.
Everyone who works at Arks Harvest is a volunteer. The organization has nearly 70 volunteers helping at its three locations. Jalbert said more volunteers are needed and Arks Harvest is offering free food in return for hours that volunteers give to the organization. For more information, go to https://arksharvest.com/.
The new Hawkesbury location of Arks Harvest is open Thursdays from 10 am to 6 pm, Fridays from 10 am to 6 pm, and Saturdays from 10 am to 3 pm. Hours for the Vankleek Hill and Cornwall locations are available on the website.
