Good Buy to Hunger program has been providing food for 20 years

By Joan Janzen

Did you know the Co-op Marketplace’s Good Buy to Hunger initiative has been providing food for people in Kindersley and area for twenty years? The program started up in January of 2004, according to a report in the Jan. 7, 2004 issue of The Clarion. Thirty-five bags of food for donation were purchased in the first week it got underway.

The Co-op Marketplace initiated the Good Buy to Hunger program twenty years ago, in January 2004, and it’s been serving this area ever since. Photo (Jan. 7, 2004 - The Clarion)

The provincial program, sponsored by Co-op, consists of bags of non-perishable food being bagged and made available for purchase at varying amounts as customers pay for groceries at the cash register. Bags are set aside and collected weekly by a community service organization that disperses food to residents in need.

Twenty years ago, bag prices ranged from $5 to $12 to allow people to find a price that fits their budget. Due to inflation, bag prices have increased significantly since the program first began.

Although the prices have increased, the positive impact of the program has also mushroomed, providing nutritious food for so many people for two decades. In 2004, it was described as the kind of program that people are really going to take advantage of. Those words proved to be true, both then and now in 2024.

The success and longevity of the Good Buy to Hunger program is a testament to the generosity of the people in Kindersley and surrounding area.