Food banks are supplying a vital need in our communities
By Joan Janzen
Food Banks are essential in west central Saskatchewan and across the border into Alberta. Those food banks are strategically located in Oyen, Luseland, Kerrobert, Kindersley and Rosetown.
Family Community Support Services (FCSS) provides the Oyen and District Food Bank. It distributes food on the first Wednesday of each month, and emergency hampers are also available if needed. Pick up location is at the back door of the FCSS Community Centre on Main Street, with applications submitted before pick-up.
Volunteers at food banks help fill a vital need in our communities. These volunteers at the Kindersley Food Bank spent Tuesday afternoon working at their location on Railway Avenue.
The Oyen Food Bank
Bill Kolkman from the Oyen Food Bank has noticed an increase in the number of clients each month throughout the past year. But the local food bank is able to provide for this increase thanks to the generous supply of food donations and volunteer help.
Carol Grosskopf from the Kerrobert Food Bank reported they are seeing new clients use their services who don’t necessarily have a connection to the community of Kerrobert. This may be due to people moving to smaller communities for more affordable living. However, Carol noted it’s difficult if they don’t have a means of transportation.
“We’re open the second Tuesday of every month,” Carol explained. “And we do emergency food parcels at any time. We have a very generous community that donates pretty regularly.”
The Kerrobert Food Bank is fortunate in that the United Church allows them to use their building free of charge. Carol also said a lot of activities in the area will take donations to the food bank instead of charging admission, which is extremely helpful. They also use cash donations for purchases of grocery items and to cover the cost of cutting and wrapping any meat that is donated.
Carol said people need to be aware that the food bank can’t give food that’s too far beyond its best-before date. Although they have a group of dedicated volunteers, they could always use a few younger and stronger volunteers to help with the heavy lifting.
The community of Luseland distributes groceries from their food bank on the 15th of every month. Marianne Delhommeau from the Luseland Food Bank said clients submit their requests, and the volunteers fill the list as much as they possibly can.
“We have a space downtown that the Town of Luseland lets us use,” she explained. “And we have enough volunteers to do the work.”
The food bank at Kindersley has had a notable increase in clients in the past year. Volunteer Leslie Omness said they have had a 25 percent increase in clients.
“We had eleven new clients last month. Some people are here for a while, and others move on,” she explained. Some clients are long-term, while others are short-term. The people who come through their doors include single parents, couples, singles, and families ... ranging from 18 to 65 years of age. Leslie estimated the number of retired people using their services has increased from 10 to 15 percent in the last year. Their clients come from a wide area, including Coleville, Kindersley, Marengo, Alsask, Flaxcombe, Eatonia, Brock and Dodsland.
The Kindersley Food Bank distributes hampers on the last Thursday of each month. Their crew of dedicated volunteers meets every Tuesday afternoon at their location on Railway Avenue.
“During the last week of each month, we’re here Monday to Thursday,” Leslie said. Thursday is pick-up day when they pack the hampers according to the Canada Food Guide and also cater to people who have allergies.
Once a year, they receive a donation of a whole beef, which usually lasts about five months. And the Co-op delivers the hunger bags they receive when they deliver the monthly order to the food bank.
Food banks have always been essential organizations in our communities. However, increased living costs and food prices are causing people to be even more appreciative of the services food banks provide.