Where this whole route started.
Brian's Food Baskets began on Christian Island in March 2020. Brian's mom lives on the island full-time. When the lockdown hit and the ferry hours were cut, the seniors who'd already put up bulk food for winter had nothing fresh — and Brian asked Chief Guy Monague and council for permission to deliver. He's been making the Cedar Point ferry trip every Tuesday and Friday ever since.
Where Christian Island fits on the route
"My mom and a lot of seniors, what they do is buy a lot of bulk food in the fall to get them through winter. But everything was frozen — nothing fresh."
Brian Vanderstelt · Simcoe.com, December 2020
Brian's notes · Christian Island
The route that started here.
I'm a Beausoleil First Nation member with a cottage on the island. The route exists because I saw what happens when the ferry runs short and the only fresh food on the island is whatever the corner store happens to have that week. The Beausoleil Family Health Centre got involved early — commissioning food boxes for residents with diabetes and young families — and that contract is part of why the truck has kept coming back every week, year-round, since the start.
The truck stocks at dawn in Barrie from the Ontario Food Terminal and Barrie Hill Farms, drives the route through Orillia, Midland, and Penetanguishene, and rolls onto the Cedar Point ferry mid-afternoon — Tuesdays and Fridays, both days. House to house from there. Mom usually waves from the porch when I go by.
If you're a full-time resident or have a cottage on the island and want to be on the route, send your list by Sunday 3 pm for Tuesday or Wednesday 3 pm for Friday. Call 1-705-970-5141 or email briansfoodbaskets@rogers.com — I'll sort out the ferry timing and where to leave the bag.
Be on the island route.
Full-time resident or cottager — tell Brian what you'd like in your basket and where on the island you are. Same-day callback, first delivery on the next ferry.