Shortly after 3 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, Larry and Louise Lambert are still hard at work at the St. Paul & District Food Bank, even after the doors have been locked for the weekend.
Empty shelves are visible, and empty boxes are scattered throughout the space, which is located next to the Mannawanis Native Friendship Centre, in St. Paul.
In the four hours they were opened that day, the food bank had five new clients access its services. So far this month, there have been over 300 clients accessing the St. Paul food bank, which translates to nearly 1,000 people.
Although he didn’t have exact numbers for the month of November, Larry said in the month of October, there were 325 applications received, which equals 485 adults and 463 kids receiving services from the food bank.
In September, those numbers were even higher, with 564 adults and 506 kids using the food bank, or 387 clients. Clients are only allowed to access the food bank once every 30 days.
“We’re well within provincial and national averages,” says Larry, when of the local numbers being seen. He notes that the need for food banks extends right across the country.
Overall, the country is seeing a continual increase in the need for food banks. In 2014, food banks noticed a 15 per cent in crease; in 2015 that increase was up to 20 per cent; and now, the increase is being pegged at 25 per cent.
“The economy has had a bearing on it. The Fort McMurray fire had a bearing on it, as well,” says Larry.
Despite the increased need for the food bank, Larry is pleased to note that the community somehow always comes through, filling the need for more food items, even without the food bank having to ask.
A unique partnership that has been created is between the food bank and the local Tim Hortons franchise. Since the restaurant isn’t allowed to keep baked goods past a certain time period, the food bank picks up leftovers every day of the week, passing them on to those in need that same day, or freezing them to be used when needed.
The food bank picks up 15 to 20 kg of food from the restaurant each day, which can be a little taxing on volunteers, since there are no days off, but if volunteers didn’t step up, the food would have to be thrown out.
Each of the major grocery stores in town also contributes to the food bank, allowing the organization to continue to help those in need.
“All of the grocery stores are excellent,” says Larry, adding, organizations such as the Lions and the Knights of Columbus, church groups, and everyone from the volunteer fire fighters to the schools are key pieces in keeping the food bank up and running, year round.
Although the need at the food bank exists year-round, there does tend to be more donations coming through the doors over the holidays, acknowledges Larry. But, over the years, he’s noticed that individual families and groups are stepping up throughout the year.
For example, it’s not uncommon for families to choose to donate to the food bank, rather than buy each other gifts over the holidays, or for children to collect donations instead of birthday gifts.
Cash donations are always welcome at the food bank, since it helps volunteers fill the holes, as they seem them appear. For example, the food bank is almost always in need of canned meat, like tuna or ham. And when supplies run low, they can take the donated cash and go purchase exactly what they need.
“We go through about 1,000 cans of tuna a month,” says Larry. Other in-demand items include peanut butter, pasta, canned beans, and hygienic items such as diapers and shampoos. Lunch items for children to take to school are also needed.
Despite the need for the food bank continually increasing, Larry is happy to see the correlation with the community responding to that need. A local company often supplies freight when needed, and the space the group occupies is given to them free of charge.
The group even has a full list of volunteers that respond when extra loads of food arrive, ready to help organize and unpack when needed.
“We get tremendous support from the community,” says Larry, adding a big thank-you to everyone who supports the food bank.
The St. Paul & District Food Bank is open four days a week, Monday to Thursday, from 10 a.m. to noon, and 1 to 3 p.m. The organization serves the Town of St. Paul, the County of St. Paul, Saddle Lake, Frog Lake, Goodfish Lake, and Kehewin.
