Provincial boost to food banks ‘absolutely critical’

By Ry Clarke - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on November 29, 2022.

Herald file photo by Ry Clarke Darren Babin, Operations Lead at the Lethbridge Food Bank, stocks the shelves earlier this month, making sure everything is ready for the winter months Wednesday at the Lethbridge Food Bank.

The Alberta Government is taking action to ensure food banks across the province have the funds to help feed the families that come through their doors.

On Nov. 23, the province announced it would be providing $10 million over two years to help with the increased cost of record inflation so food banks can procure resources to help those they serve. The first $5 million will be distributed in the coming weeks with the second $5 million allocated for use in the fiscal year of 2022-2023.

“It is absolutely critical right now,” said Danielle McIntyre, executive director at the Interfaith Food Bank. “We are grateful for the announcement, because it is coming at a critical time for food banks, we really need the help right now.”

With the announcement still in the early phase of doling out the money, McIntyre says the funds will be used for food purchasing and operational costs.

“There is still a lot to be unveiled to us, as to the process for accessing the funds. Our understanding is that the first $5 million is going to be doled out through grant applications,” said McIntyre. “We are still waiting to hear what that looks like and what the turnaround time will be on accessing the funds. The second $5 million is intended to be matching community donations, which is another thing we are yet to learn about. We are not sure if we will report back and say this is how much was donated, or if there will be an online platform that food banks will use to have community members donate through in order to match. We are still waiting to hear a lot more before we see the money.”

Noting the holidays is when we see a lot of these donations, Mac Nichol, executive director at the Lethbridge Food Bank, says the two-phase distribution will help with the slow times.

“It is smart of the government to break that $10 million up between this year and next,” said Nichol. “We need support now, but it does look like this (situation) is not leaving anytime soon. So having a bit of support, even next year, will go a long way.”

While happy for the funds, McIntyre notes a need for more solutions to ensure people are able to buy their own groceries.

“We are hoping that there will be other announcements that identify some long-term solutions to ensure that people will be able to buy their own food,” said McIntyre. “It is not just a Christmas issue. This is a trend we have been seeing for quite some time. Numbers at food banks have been rising for quite some time. We are seeing about a 30 per cent increase in requests for help month-over-month right now. But since 2019, food banks in Alberta have seen a 73 per cent increase on people coming for help. This has been a long time coming and it is not specific to the season. But it is certainly time for us to be addressing it before food banks run out of resources.”

With the holidays sparking the season of giving, food banks see a large majority of donations come in during the winter timeline.

“We get the majority of the funds for the food bank all within December every year,” said Nichol. “It is nice to see, but what happens is all that money comes in and then we have to try and parse that out throughout the whole year, because it pretty much dries up other than that. Support to the whole year is really important for us.”

With added support from the Alberta Government, food banks can continue to help serve those in need, not just for holiday seasons but for year-long aid.

“This time of the year is when we really look at how much we have and how others might not. We really try to capture that spirit of giving and generosity during the Christmas season,” said McIntyre. “We encourage any community member to support their Christmas Hope partner of choice this season.”

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