Niagara-on-the-Lake’s centre for farmworkers is busier than ever during the growing season.

However, its manager says it’s running low on the necessities it supplies to these workers to help them get by.

“We’re in dire need of stuff right now,” said Julia Buxton-Cox, founder of the Farmworker Hub in Virgil. 

It’s been an extremely busy season, Buxton-Cox says, with at least 150 workers coming to the hub every Sunday to pick up necessities or use the hang-out room upstairs. 

Since March, she said, the hub has served more than 2,300 workers.

“Last year, we served I think it was 3,100 in the whole season from mid-March to the end of October,” she said. 

She added that the hub is expecting to serve more than 4,000 by the end of the season. 

“With the price of groceries going up, every dollar we can help them save makes a big difference,” she said. 

She said everyone, including the community, is feeling the effects of rising costs. 

The hub is in need of small and medium short-sleeved T-shirts, long sleeve button-up dress shirts and hoodies. 

It needs long sleeve T-shirts made of cotton in sizes small, medium and large, men’s jeans sizes 30 to 36 and men’s and women’s shoes sizes seven to 11. 

“In the household room, the shelves are bare,” she said. 

She’s asking for items like pots and pans, spoons, forks, water bottles, upright wheeled luggage, twin-size bed linens and blankets and toiletries like toilet paper, towels, shampoo and deodorant.

Another way to help the hub is by purchasing the Winemakers’ Selection Tasting Pass from the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake. 

The organization is donating all of its proceeds from the sales to the hub. 

On July 12, the organization presented a cheque to the hub with the proceeds of the pass since the beginning of the year. 

This will assist with operating costs and everyday items for the workers. 

The pass costs $40 and includes one tasting of a winemaker’s selection of wine from each of the participating 20 wineries in NOTL. 

The hub is open for donations at the rear side door of Cornerstone Church at 1570 Niagara Stone Road in Virgil on Tuesdays between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. It also has a donation box out front where people can place items. 

For more information, contact the Farmworker Hub by emailing thehubnotl@bell.net or calling 905-483-9717.