The Moose Jaw and District Food Bank is busy restocking its shelves after receiving 43,372 lbs of food from the 17th annual Better Together Food Drive held Monday night.
Thirty-eight pallets of food were delivered to the Food Bank on Tuesday. Over $2,000 in cash and cheques was also collected. Those funds will stretch to buy nearly $4,000 in food through a Food Banks Canada program. A few thousand pounds more is expected to trickle in over the coming days.
"Hearing that we got about 38 pallets of food is pretty exciting!" exclaimed Development Manager Jason Moore. "We're racing around this morning creating extra space to make sure we have room to fit everything. This is an awesome and incredible outpouring from Moose Jaw. We really appreciate it."
Moore wanted to give a big thanks to Hillcrest Church for their involvement.
"Hillcrest Church has been a proud supporter of the Moose Jaw Food Bank for a long time. They put on the Better Together Food Drive, they started the Better Together Food Drive and continue to support us. Their dedicated staff reaches out to the rest of the community. It takes about 500-plus volunteers to pull this night off, so we're just really grateful to all the volunteers that came out to show their support for our community. We appreciate it and thanks again!"
This was the first in-person food drive for Moore since he joined the organization.
"I've only been with the Moose Jaw Food Bank for two years and in the previous years we just did a monetary drive, so this was an exciting adventure for me," he commented. "Just again seeing a different way that Moose Jaw gives and continues to support this community and especially those in need. With the rising cost of living, grocery prices, and gas prices soaring, we're seeing a huge number of people accessing our services that we haven't seen before. This food drive is going to really impact our community and especially those who are the most vulnerable."
A new report by Food Banks Canada shows that a record number of people used a food bank this year. About 1.5 million Canadians visited a food bank in March. That's up 15 per cent from last March and up 35 from March of 2019. A nationwide survey done by the Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research at the University of Saskatchewan shows that nearly 20 per cent of respondents were also reducing meal sizes or skipping meals in order to stretch their finances.
Moore noted the trend in Moose Jaw is also moving in the same direction, adding they're seeing an increase in the number of newcomers and students.
"Since COVID happened, we've seen a steady increase in numbers, averaging about 18 new clients a month. Over the course of September, we actually had 53 new signups and in previous months we also have reached record numbers...We're just seeing that the economy is really taking its toll on people. We're not just seeing people who are on assistance that are reaching out to the Food Bank but now we're seeing working families more and more. Students who are going to school and just can't afford to purchase groceries are accessing our services. The need is growing so we really appreciate the community supporting us in this way."
He says the food collected from the Better Together Food Drive will likely keep the shelves stocked until next summer. Smaller food drives held throughout the year should get them through to next October.
People who are looking to donate or who might have missed out on Monday can drop off donations at the Moose Jaw and District Food Bank between the hours of 9 am and 2 pm Monday through Friday. The Food Bank is also accepting cash donations to purchase basic food items that are used in hampers at a discounted rate through a food share program.
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Deann Little unloads one of 38 pallets of food that was delivered to the Food Bank on Tuesday
Fri, Apr 26, 8:00 AM
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