The need for the work of the Battlefords Empty Stocking Fund shows no sign of easing off.
Last year was another active one for the organization, as outlined at their annual report and dinner Wednesday night at the Western Development Museum.
The organization distributes food and Christmas gift hampers to struggling families during the Christmas season. It operates a year-round food bank under the name Battlefords District Food and Resource Centre, which distributes food Monday to Friday between 10 a.m. and noon from their location at 1171-101st Street.
At their AGM on Wednesday, executive director Erin Katerynych provided a report outlining the activities of the organization during the 2016-17 fiscal year ending Feb. 28, which noted increases in the amount of hampers and people served.
During the fiscal year the food bank gave out an average 624 hampers per month for an 18 per cent increase over last year, and served on average 1,944 people per month for a 15 per cent increase. Just under half of them are children 17 and under.
This is the highest amount of people seen accessing the Food Bank since its inception, according to the report.
It was also a heavy year of activity by the volunteers: a total of 2,805 volunteer hours were devoted to the food bank with 600 hours for special events.
The value of food donated and given out by the food bank last year was $608,309.54, representing a 13 per cent increase. This includes $40,915 for their Food for Kids program and $40,537.50 to other agencies. Those include The Lighthouse, Cornerstone Soup Kitchen, Battlefords Indian and Métis Friendship Centre, Living Faith Chapel, St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Hope Mennonite Closet and the Battlefords Humane Society. They also contributed to breakfast and lunch programs at Lawrence School, St. Vital School, Central School, Bready School, McKitrick School and Poundmaker School.
But Katerynych said she is a little concerned they may end up having to give the schools more, because, with the budget cuts, “they have had their nutrition budget slashed, so I’m expecting to hand out a lot more to the schools this upcoming year,” she said.
They also assist the Boys and Girls Club and Concern for Youth, providing food for special projects throughout the year.
The Christmas Empty Stocking Fund campaign was another active one with 1,526 people helped, 789 of them children. A total of 442 hampers were distributed and that is a seven per cent increase.
The organization remains active in programs including Coats for Kids, where 90 coats and over 100 winter accessories were given out, Milk for Kids, and Food for Kids, where 110 weekend food bags are distributed to children in food-insecure households.
They are again partnering with the City of North Battleford’s Parks and Recreation department for the After the Bell program distributing bags of food to children who use the supervised parks program.
They also have helped with income tax return preparations, and their food bank also is one of two Fine Options/Community Service agencies in the Battlefords which helps place clients who have to do community service or are working off fines. A total of 126 individuals were placed there in 2016, but with the cuts to the fine option program that number will likely drop, she said.
The organization also provides a work placement for Prairie Employment, and volunteer opportunities for various schools throughout the year are available. Those students would come in on one day a week and help make the food hampers.
The budget for the organization was also approved, with revenue at $216,250 and expenses at $215,530.
Chair Al Huckabay noted the importance of the food bank to the community and the people it serves.
“People need a hand up, not merely a handout. And that’s what we want to be as a food bank. We’re not merely looking to just give handouts. We are looking to give people a hand up in life. So the Battlefords Food and Resource Centre is there for people when they need this hand up in life.”
