[Woman] When I think about these bags I think about families.
I think about the children.
[Reporter] Azikee Huie volunteers at this emergency food program.
It started because of COVID.
She's getting bags ready to hand out to hundreds of people in her neighborhood
of St. Jamestown in Toronto.
[Azikee] It feels as though I am an angel.
I feel as though I was sent purposely to help to do this.
[Reporter] That's surprising coming from someone who's had their life turned upside down by COVID.
Azikee has three kids and lost her job as a janitor.
Around here that's a pretty common story
and yet she's taking the day to pack vegetables.
[Azikee] For me it's very important to volunteer.
For me, it's very important to give back to the community.
[Reporter] And Azikee needs help herself.
At the end of the day she'll take one of these bags home for her kids.
[Azikee] I'm very grateful for it because it helps to cut down on my supermarket bill.
It helps me not to be so stressed because I have three grandchildren and they eat a lot.
What I get in that bag
helps me in terms of getting something healthy.
I do not have to depend on tin food.
I can depend on what is in those bags.
[Reporter] But everyone here knows this is an emergency program.
Money will run out of the end of March and that could be it.
One more obstacle that the people in this neighbourhood face since the pandemic started.
[Woman] Living in a concrete jungle, in very densely crowded buildings.
It's basically impossible to really truly be pandemic safe.
It's easy to be frightened.
It's stressful.
[Reporter] That's Josephine Grey.
She started the food program because COVID has hit this neighbourhood harder than most places.
People in this community have lost businesses, lost jobs.
Lost family.
Recovery is going to be a long process and healthy food is critical.
[Reporter] It's hard to imagine but 20,00 people live here.
One building has its own postal code.
Demand for the emergency food program was so high Josephine stopped advertising.
She knew she wouldn't be able to meet the demand.
I see the need myself.
Hours before they hand out the food people come to see if they can get on the list.
[Woman] My name's Heather, I'm registered.
These are my neighbours.
[Reporter] A resident who gets a food bag has brought her neighbours.
Actually let's do it at three o'clock because right now we're a little busy
so when you come back we'll get you all set up on the list for next week as well.
[Reporter] By three o'clock if they're lucky there'll be food left over
and they'll be able to take some home.
It strikes me that we live in such a rich country and yet here's the lineup of people
who rely on this food to survive the pandemic.
People like Trini Fillon, Trini is 70 and she lives alone.
For me COVID changed my life in a very unpleasant way.
Depression comes from time to time even I want to be strong but when it hits me
I feel depressed.
I need this food because I stretch my monthly income as a senior.
It helps me because my rent is very high and my allowance for the month is very low.
[Reporter] How do you feel when you get the bag of food?
When I get the food, I feel happy.
I feel that I don't have to think of my provision for the week
and since they put it into every two weeks then I have to stretch out.
I'll give you some of these.
[Reporter] Imagine that having to make this bag of food last two weeks.
Josephine worries at this time next month there may be no bags at all.
Her program is running out of money
but she points out that even before COVID many people here relied on food banks.
So what she's really fighting for and has been for years is a permanent solution to the food problems here.
[Josephine] A big focus of our work has been trying to create a self-sustaining
healthy food hub that grows its own food collects and gathers food
distributes and processes food and becomes self-sustaining.
It's incredibly important.
I can't give up, I have to keep trying.
[Man] Thank you very much.
[Reporter] Food security for St. Jamestown is still the dream for Josephine
but she's accomplished something here already something that goes beyond food.
Would you like full wheat or white flour?
Watching Azikee work and it's obvious.
She's connected with her neighbourhood more than ever.
I see the love from the people to us because they did not even expect this.
It makes me feel a lot lighter.
It gives me the energy to do it continuously.
[Reporter] Azikee takes bags up into the towers for people who can't make it down here.
In my building I have this neighbour I've been living there since 2017.
We have said maybe, 'hi.'
We have passed each other.
We have never spoken.
Because of this I was able to knock on her door.
She's my neighbour and I was able to knock on her door and to give her some food
and we were able to start a conversation.
We did not do that before, so it's allowing me to connect with my neighbours
that I've never had that access before so it's given me a very good feeling and I love that.
[Reporter] The pandemic has brought with it lots of hardship for everyone.
At the same time it's brought unexpected positives too.
Let's try to remember that.
Nick Purdon, CBC News, Toronto.