One of the Town of Outlook’s most vital programs that works to help families in need is looking for a helping hand itself as the cost of everyday items continues to go up.
The Outlook & District Food Bank has been seeing an influx of new users in recent times, and while food donations are always welcomed and always appreciated, the local organization is asking for the public’s support in the form of cash donations in order to pay for fresh food items and other necessary products.
Leah Larson, who works in Community Services at the Outlook & District Health Centre, attributes the rising number of food bank users to contributing factors such as job downturn and the state of the Canadian economy, most notably the crash in the oil industry.
Larson’s take on the situation holds serious weight, as a late 2016 report revealed that the number of people using food banks in Saskatchewan increased by 17.5%, climbing from 26,727 individuals served in 2015 to 31,395 a year later. The research further showed that the percentage of users who are children was 45.6%, the highest total in the country.
In Outlook, Larson says the number of food bank users is only going up, and the data can be traced back a number of years.
“These numbers are higher than normal,” she said. “If you go back a couple of years, our biggest month would have been December with, say, 25 baskets which would’ve been our max. We’ve seen our numbers going high for a few years now, and they’re gradually rising.”
That number of approximately 25 baskets at a maximum during the holiday season a few years ago has certainly changed today, testing an organization that doesn’t receive any government funding and relies on donations from the public.
“Since January, we pack an average of 27 baskets a month, so that’s 27 families, and they vary in size depending on the number of people in the home,” said Leah, also noting that of those 27 baskets, there are an average of 35 children who depend on the Outlook Food Bank each month. “On top of that, there’s an average of six emergency baskets, which could be people who’ve already received a basket that month and just couldn’t make ends meet, or else it’s a new person looking for help.”
Outside of supplying baskets with canned and dry items, the food bank works to provide fresher products such as fruits, eggs, milk and meats, and on top of that, they’ve also purchased everyday hygiene items. The food bank foots the bill for these things, and it may mean that certain things may have to be cut in the future.
“On a monthly basis, besides the canned and dry goods that we provide, we buy eggs, bread, milk, apples and oranges, and frozen meat, so there are some fresh items that go into it,” Larson explained. “Frozen meat is generally donated, but sometimes we pay the cutting/wrapping costs on donated animals, so there is still some financial responsibility on our part in that part. On a rotational basis through the year, we also provide laundry detergent, dish soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner; we try to help out with some of those expenses and costs. Depending on where our finances go, it’ll be those types of things that are going to have to be cut.”
Larson said that the food bank had been sitting well enough financially to be able to provide those kinds of extra items, but with the rising cost of everything grocery-related these days, it may mean having to cut them as the bills keep getting higher.
“In the last while, we’ve been sitting well financially, so we added those things on,” she said. “We had the money at the time, so we thought, ‘Let’s try and help out more’, so those would have to be the first things to go. Approximately since January 2017 until now, our grocery bill has been about $11,000. The cost of everything is just going up.”
Leah said it can be frustrating to try and fill the gaps despite the costs when they know that people in the community depend on the food bank. The organization does its best to ensure there is food for those who need it, but hopes that as long as people are giving with food donations, they’ll also be giving with donations of the monetary variety.
“Yes, it is frustrating,” said Larson. “Quite often, we would have soup and macaroni on the shelf. We’re often buying case lots of that stuff, so not only are we buying fresh produce, which is a ‘that day’ commodity, but we’re buying stuff just to keep the shelves stocked.”
For those wishing to make a donation to the Outlook & District Food Bank, they can be dropped off at the Health Centre in care of Leah, or they can also drop it into the white donation box that is located at the Outlook town offices building.
