The Estevan Salvation Army’s food bank has remained a very busy service early in 2016.
Family services co-ordinator Ronza Reynard didn’t divulge the number of clients they have seen this year, or the amount of food they have handed out, but she reported there was a 61 per cent increase in clients from January of last year.
The increase continues a trend from last year, as demand on the food bank increased about 60 per cent from 2014 to 2015.
“To have another 60 per cent increase over last year, in some ways, is not surprising, because we saw how busy we were over Christmas with the Community Hamper Association, and those numbers were up,” said Reynard. “As the economy continues to go in a downward spiral here, then the demand for the food bank has to increase, because people’s hours are being cut, and people are being laid off from their jobs.”
The Salvation Army has clients who consistently rely on the food bank, but they’re also seeing a lot of new families. Reynard noted five new families approached the Salvation Army during the last week of January.
“People … who haven’t used the food bank in 10 years, are coming now to see if they can use it again,” said Reynard. “I’m pulling out files of somebody that hasn’t been into the food bank in a number of years.”
They are also seeing an influx of single people and couples who don’t have children.
“If you’re a single income, and if you’re working at a place where your hours are getting cut, you’re the only person responsible to pay your bills,” said Reynard.
The food bank has been able to meet the demand thus far. They received record-setting support during their letter appeal and kettle campaign in December, and a lot of donations for the food bank came in late last year.
“As quickly as it came in, we’re finding now, in January and February, that it’s going out,” said Reynard.
Shelves are currently at about 75 per cent capacity, but they are in short supply of some food items. They could use snacks, pancake mix, condiments and one-litre juices.
Cash donations are being used to purchase fresh food and other items they need. A $2,500 donation from Enbridge that came in on Feb. 4 will give them enough money to buy produce, dairy and meat for the next two months.
“The main thing is that we get all the fruits and vegetables and things like that into the hampers,” said Reynard. “It’s great to have all the (non-perishable items), but you do need the fresh stuff as well.”
They don’t want to have an abundance of fresh products in stock, since those items have a short shelf life.
The price of food is rising, too, but that has yet to be problematic for the Salvation Army. They are still able to supply a well-rounded hamper for food bank clients that meet the requirements of the Canada Food Guide.
“Because we did get a good jump on things at Christmas, we haven’t really had to go out and find the non-perishable food items,” said Reynard. “We haven’t quite felt the pinch of it yet, and I think when we have to go out and purchase these things, that’s when we’ll start to notice the higher cost of food.”
The Salvation Army is confident they will be able to meet the needs of the community, thanks to the support of Estevan residents.
“We’re constantly getting calls (from people, asking) ‘What’s happening in the food bank?’ ‘What do you need?’ ‘Is there stuff we can drop off’” said Reynard.
She noted that not only have people in the oilpatch lost their jobs, but the economic slowdown has had an impact on other sectors, including retail and hospitality, which has left others feeling
the financial pinch.
“That’s why we’re busier than we have been,” said Reynard. “We’re happy that we can meet the needs, and that we’re able to have people who come along with us and make donations to us, whether it’s through monetary funds or through bringing non-perishables to the food bank.”
Due to the number of people accessing the food bank’s services, Reynard asks that people who need its service contact the Salvation Army to book an appointment.
