Groninger honored as 2020 Oakvillian of the Year

Tara Groninger, who spearheaded the effort to establish a local food bank, was recognized by the City of Oakville as Oakvillian of the Year at a small, socially-distanced ceremony Dec. 18 at the Oakville Community Center.

“This has been — it goes without saying — an extraordinary year. We have all faced extraordinary challenges. And, while I don’t think anyone would say it has been a ‘good’ year, there have been some extraordinarily good things that have happened too,” said Oakville Mayor Angelo Cilluffo. “Tonight, we are here to recognize someone who is and has done some extraordinarily good things — Tara Groninger.”

Cilluffo spoke about Groninger’s many contributions to the Oakville community, emphasizing her work with the food bank that has served so many families in need.

Groninger “and her dedicated, invaluable friends started a food bank, virtually from scratch,” said Cilluffo. “What began with making some calls and asking some questions has turned into a thriving organization that is providing thousands — let me say that again, for emphasis — thousands of meals for people in need, right here in Oakville.”

The Oakville Food Bank is innovative in that it functions like a “store,” said Cilluffo. People can pick out the items they really need to feed their families, as opposed to being given items that aren’t of their choosing. This not only allows people to get the food they need, “almost just as importantly, it allows them to feel an active participant in procuring their food, which is crucially important for self-esteem and self-respect,” said Cilluffo.

On top of that, more than 1,700 boxes of fresh produce were distributed to the community this year, and Groninger and her team were able to provide turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. She has also begun putting together packages of hygiene products for kids and teens in the community.

After Cilluffo presented her with a plaque and a certificate of the proclamation, Groninger gave a few remarks, thanking her fellow friends in the endeavor, specifically Julie Zehe and John Sharp, referring to them as her “left and right hand,” as well as all the other workers, volunteers, and donors who have helped the food bank grow.

At the end of the evening, members of the Oakville Grange stopped by with about 800 pounds of food the Grange has collected.