The shelves might still be a bit on the bare side, but the good news is that awareness of the service is growing, donations are on an upswing, and there is now a formal board to oversee the operations for the St. Paul and District Food Bank, according to Shelley Poitras.
Poitras is the new chair for the board, with Brent Collins, Doreen Waskewitch-Rosa, Marie Barr, Peggy Grandjamb, Larry Lambert, Lucille Froese and Gail Kinney also stepping up to serve their community food bank.
Having a board means that more minds are working together to come up with creative ways to raise funds and collect foods for those who would otherwise go hungry, said Poitras. “We are full of great ideas and are anxious to share them,” she said, adding this includes setting up food drives, holding a luncheon and/or getting local businesses and schools involved in collecting goods for the food bank. Right now, a plan is underway to send letters to businesses in advance of Christmas, reminding them that the food bank is one charitable cause to which they can donate. Another push is to set up bins for donations in places such as grocery stores, so people can donate goods more easily, she said.
“Christmas is a time of giving and all too often, time can get away from us,” notes Poitras, who works at the Mannawanis Native Friendship Centre. “Even I welcome the reminders to be generous and giving to those who are less fortunate than ourselves.”
The St. Paul and District Food Bank is part of the same building as Mananwanis, but has its own separate entrance. The hours of operation currently vary due to a lack of volunteers, but the board would like to see the service be available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday to Friday, said Poitras. Volunteers are needed to man the food bank, to help keep it clean, stock shelves, put food hampers together, and unload deliveries, she said, adding people who want to find out more or learn how they can help can attend the board’s next meeting, to be held Dec. 8 at 1 p.m. at Mannawanis.
Right now, the food bank could use a variety of items, such as soups or mixes, pasta, fresh fruit and vegetables (that are refrigerated), canned vegetables, canned fruits, flour, baking powder, shortening/oil, baby products and simple school lunch supplies, like juice boxes. Poitras said she’s set up a Facebook group for St. Paul and District Food Bank to update people on what’s happening with the service and what items are needed.
United Church Minister Marie Barr, who is now a board member, was one of the people that pushed to see a board created after hearing of gaps in service and after meeting a man who was unable to access food to feed his family from the local food bank.
“(Progress) is beginning to happen, and that’s good,” she said of the board’s creation, adding she’d like to see the food bank work together with groups such as the Knights of Columbus to get food to the people who need it. “To me, it’s a logical thing to work together.”
She suggested if people are having events or community gatherings, the cost of admission could be a can of food or another non-perishable item to donate to the local food bank. She notes her church collects food items every third Sunday of the month, saying, “While we feed ourselves, we hope we can feed others.”