There is real worry and real fear.
In just a few months, after construction is completed on Humboldt's new Co-op Food Store, all three of the city's grocery stores will be located on the far west side of the city. Sobeys moved out there just before Christmas from their location a few blocks to the east, while Extra Foods remains at their location in the far west end of the Humboldt Mall.
Having the stores clustered on that end of town may mean larger locations and more selection for customers. But the location of the stores is expected to cause a real problem for most of the client base of a local organization.
The staff of Partners Family Services sat down with the Journal last week to discuss the situation and possible solutions.
You can't blame the grocery stores for moving, they all agreed.
"It's business," they said.
But the lack of any grocery stores in the central part of the city will be difficult for some to deal with, especially those who don't have access to a vehicle.
"Transportation is always an issue for individuals that have a variety of different challenges," said Collette Lessmeister, executive director of Partners.
It's become such an issue among their client base, in fact, that they have started to allow for it in their grant applications.
"It's a real barrier for people," said Crystal Perkins of Partners.
For example, they said, they had to arrange for volunteers to drive people to the Christmas supper they put on with Westminster United Church on December 25.
It was a cold night, and people would have had a hard time walking to the church, they explained. Luckily, they found people willing to go and pick others up, allowing them to attend.
Transportation is a real issue for different groups in the community, said Glenda Frey of Partners. Newcomers to the country, seniors, those who use the soup kitchen, students - they all have difficulty getting around the community because they don't drive or don't have access to a vehicle for one reason or another. Either they can't afford a vehicle, they gave it up when they moved close to downtown (as is the case with many seniors) or they're not comfortable driving anymore.
"Very few of our clients have vehicles," said Lessmeister. "The majority of our clients have no vehicles."
Walking is an option for some, but not for others.
"A lot of our clientele have mobility issues as well," said Lessmeister. "and when it's cold, like -40, ugh," she said.
It was difficult enough for some of them to get groceries before two of the stores moved. With a west side location, a good portion of the low income housing in the city will be about as far as you can get from the food, Perkins pointed out.
It's a long way to walk from the low income housing on the south side of the city, and from that on the east end, all the way to where all the grocery stores will soon be - too far, for many people who don't have vehicles. There are also no sidewalks along the two roads - 5th Ave. and Hwy. 5 - that lead directly to the stores, so safety for walkers is a concern as well.
"There's not even any safe walking paths," said Lessmeister. "No sidewalk or trails right now to get from the east side, across the tracks and to the other side of town safely."
For those with mobility issues, the local Handi-Bus is an option, but it is not always available, the three said. Taxi service in town is also limited, in high demand, and can be expensive.
And sometimes, even if someone has a vehicle, they have to choose between buying gas and buying groceries - and they often opt for more food, Frey noted.
Just how people who don't have transportation will get to the grocery stores in a few months has definitely been discussed in the Partners' office.
"It's been a hot topic, especially at the Soup Kitchen," said Lessmeister.
People have been fearful for some time about how they are going to get their food, she noted.
And it's not just getting to the grocery store that they're worried about - it's getting home, and hauling their food with them.
It's difficult for one member of the family to go out, buy and haul back groceries for a family of four, noted Frey, but it's dangerous for them to take their children with them to help because there are no sidewalks to walk on to get out to the west end of town, especially during winter, with the added dangers of cold, snow and darkness falling early.
Seniors, she noted, usually buy groceries a little at a time, going out once a week. It's an outing for them, Frey indicated, as well as something they need to do. If getting to the store is too difficult or expensive, they won't be able to get out of the house as often as they'd like.
They also might not have enough storage space or enough cash at one time to buy what they need for longer periods, she added.
The number of people who live in Humboldt on low incomes is something that many don't realize, said Perkins, as the issue has never come to the forefront before.
But now more families are accessing the food bank regularly, and about 40 people a week are accessing the Soup Kitchen, which opens on Thursdays.
Having all the grocery stores clustered on one edge of the city is "going to cause a huge problem," Perkins said.
Partners tries to connect people with the food bank when they come in seeking help, Lessmeister said, and try to help out themselves if the food bank is not accessible.
The Humboldt Food Bank is open just once a week, and families are asked to limit their access to once a month.
Those who access the food bank often have transportation issues too, Lessmeister pointed out. They can get there on foot, but have trouble carrying their hampers of food home.
So what's the solution to all this?
A shuttle bus running between the grocery stores and certain points in Humboldt has been suggested, Lessmeister said.
"And some sort of public transportation. How else are we going to solve it?" she asked.
Asking volunteers to help out is a solution that they don't see working. The volunteer base is declining, they said, and with gas prices rising, people are becoming reluctant to offer to drive people. Many are also working longer hours, and for more years, and have no time to volunteer.
Grocery delivery from the stores was also suggested as a solution, as was engaging the grocery stores and asking if they would be interested in helping provide a shuttle of some sort.
"It's definitely something the community needs to address," said Lessmeister.
Another suggestion was that convenience stores more centrally located in Humboldt could possibly expand their offerings.
But it's not just the grocery stores that are on the outskirts of the city. The new hospital and the high school are also a long way from being centrally located.
Partners has become a halfway point for many people having to walk around the community because they have no other way to get around. People stop in, rest and warm up on their way to the hospital or other points, Perkins said.
A public transit system, subsidized by the City, could be the best solution for all these issues, they felt.
"The city is growing. People are living in far corners (of the community). It was bound to be a need sooner or later. This is the tipping point," said Frey.
While Humboldt may not be big enough for a full-scale public transit system like those found in Saskatoon or Regina, perhaps there is some way to modify those systems to work here, they felt.
