Following their annual general meeting, the Melfort Food Bank board of directors called 2020 a successful year.
Overall, there was an increase in donations after a plea was made to the public in the spring to help those in the community experiencing food insecurity.
The higher volume of donations continued right through until the holiday season.
“The citizens in Melfort and area really come through when the need is there,” secretary Ellen Zuck said.
During December, the Food Bank distributed 65 holiday hampers which was a brand-new program in 2020. The holiday hamper program will likely go ahead in 2021 as well. A 12 days of Christmas program helped bring in a large amount of donations to fill the holiday hampers.
The year looked much different with operational changes to address public health measures, including social distancing, sanitizing, and limiting clients in the building.
For the first part of the covid-19 pandemic, less clients were coming in for their hampers but a noticeable change has occurred, according to Zuck.
“With people going out more now, the numbers are going back up,” Zuck said. “Our new clients are up, which probably has to do with unemployment and we have more families and bigger families.”
New clients utilizing the food bank is up by about 25 percent.
The local food bank participated in the Food Banks Canada After the Bell program which was a national snack program for children while school is out for the summer. With the restrictions that were in place, volunteers found it difficult to disperse the snacks, so they have decided to not participate this upcoming summer.
“We were able to partner up with another community for that and were able to get them to people that needed it, but the response in Melfort wasn’t great,” Zuck said.
While there was inclement weather, the food bank also offered delivery for those who were unable to make it for hamper pick-up.
The small but dedicated group of volunteers is excited for the future and is looking forward to moving ahead.
“We are in the planning stages to expand our services in the Northeast so stay tuned for more information,” Zuck said.
Items needed at the food bank on a consistent basis is canned fruits, canned tomatoes, pasta sauce, hamburger helper, and sidekicks. Donations can be made on Wednesday’s from 3:30 p.m. to 5: 30 p.m.
Food hampers are distributed every second Thursday of the month from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
“The Melfort Food Bank gives a hand up, not a hand out because no one deserves to be hungry,” Zuck said.
Treasurer Fran Bakker said another important thing for the public to remember is that the food bank operates purely on community donations.
“We get no government funding, everything we do is on what comes through the door,” Bakker said. “We realize people don’t have a lot of excessive funds for donating, but we can always use donations of time as well as food.”
Volunteers and board members are needed and are being welcomed at the food bank. Anyone wishing to find out more about how they can help, can send an email to melfortfoodbank@sasktel.net.
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angie.rolheiser@jpbg.ca
On Twitter: @Angie_Rolheiser
