Those living in the bountiful agricultural areas and urban centres of Ontario probably take affordable produce and grocery items for granted.

But for those residing in the nation’s far north of Nunavut, simple items like a bag of milk can be exorbitantly expensive — a can of pop can cost $5, a bag of milk $10. It’s the reason that every year Catholic churches across Canada, including in Niagara, round up donations for food, all to be packaged and shipped north to communities in need through the efforts of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP).

That effort is underway in Niagara: on Wednesday the first skids of pancake mix, flour, sugar and granola bars began being loaded into two sea containers sitting on donated space in the Bird’s Moving and Storage yard on Seapark Drive. In total, when all the donations have come in, organizers expect 35,000 pounds of food donated by local churches to be packed away in the containers, before they make their journey east to Montreal before being loaded onto a ship bound for Naujaat, Nunavut.

“Each Catholic church is assigned a food item,” said SVDP Niagara president Shelley Gilbert, noting that it is the third year 20 Niagara churches have stepped up for the effort, sourcing the food through Mark’s No Frills in St. Catharines.

“We’re helping our neighbours in need,” she said.

Louise Librock, SVDP St. Catharines Council president, was quick to underscore the importance of the program aimed at offsetting the impact of the loss of traditional ways of life in the north, and the food insecurity that has come with it. She noted of the roughly 1,200 residents in Naujaat, nearly 50 per cent are children.

“The community up there is very much in need,” she said.

With the drive continuing there are still a few urgently needed items, such as Nutella and diapers. Those who wish to contribute can email Gilbert at shelleyssvp@gmail.com.