Target Hunger gets big support

By Lethbridge Herald on June 13, 2023.

Herald Photo by Justin Seward Lethbridge Food Bank volunteers unload the van of food donations during Target Hunger on Saturday.

Justin Seward
Lethbridge Herald

Lethbridge’s Food Bank and Interfaith Foodbank participated in the annual Target Hunger initiative on Saturday.

The annual Target Hunger city-wide food drive  takes place on the second Saturday of June and sees volunteers collect food items from each household in the city.

“Target Hunger started this year with individuals signing up to hand out bags on routes,” said Darren Babin, Lethbridge Food Bank’s operations manager.

“The individuals today have picked up all the bags that are left out with food and they bring them all in all at once from like 10 o’clock until we get the last route crossed off the list. And right now we are sitting at about 25,000 pounds. We’re expected to get a little bit more than that and then collectively with the other food bank, we might see  around 50- to 60,000 pounds today.”

Once the food is collected, it’s distributed through both food banks front doors for regular donations throughout the year.

Organizers said the project brought in more than 56,000 pounds.

“There’s been a very strong need,” said Babin.  “Especially this year when inflation and groceries have gone up for everyone (and) a lot less discretionary income, so a lot less people donating just their time or their food here in the past couple of months, the past six months. So, it’s awesome because it does leverage off how much food we actually have to purchase for our hampers because no matter what we always have to purchase food for our hampers.”

Emily Harsent, the Food Bank’s special events coordinator, spoke what the experience is like for the volunteers.

“They get experience, you know, in like a fast-paced kind of environment grabbing bags out of cars, putting them in boxes,” said Harsent.

“They get to kind of feel the energy around a food bank. I mean it’s different than a normal day but it’s still quite the same kind of energy. We all are here for like the better good. We all want to see good things happen in our community.”

“We’re thankful for everyone who participated by putting a bag out on their doorstep and are equally grateful to the community volunteers for organizing the event and recruiting the people and resources necessary to complete all of the work on our behalf,” says Mac Nichol, executive director with Lethbridge Food Bank in a press release. “We couldn’t pull off a food drive of this size without the support of the community and the hundreds of volunteers that pitched in to help.”