Generosity was flowing in Okotoks during the Christmas season and the shelves of the food bank are full – for now.
Between Dec. 8 and Dec. 22, 18,788 pounds of food come through the doors of the Okotoks Food Bank. Executive director Sheila Hughes said it’s a significant increase over December 2014.
“People were extremely generous this year,” said Hughes. “People really came forward for the people who are struggling.”
Though statistics show December donations are a six-fold increase over the 3,176 pounds received in August, the food will not last long. The food bank has also seen an increase in families from 90 to 207, she said.
An average hamper weighs approximately 100 pounds, she said, and with an average of 30 to 33 hampers being given out per week 18,000 pounds of food will not last longer than two months.
“When you look at our shelves, it looks like we’re totally set,” said Hughes. “But when you look at it in those terms, in terms of how long it will really last, it’s something else.”
As for the year of 2015 in total, the food bank saw the number of families it supported rise by 48 per cent.
With an increase in the number of people needing help, the shelves empty at a much faster rate, she said.
Even the “help yourself” shelves in the front area have seen a 200 per cent increase in the number of people needing them, she said.
Those shelves are filled with overstocked canned and boxed goods, or items that are not in-date but are still healthy to eat according to standards listed on StillTasty.com, a website devoted to food storage and shelf life. The shelves also include baked goods from local grocery stores and Cobs Bread.
To accommodate the increasing number of people accessing the food bank, there are plans in the works to have someone in the office doing reception duties to allow those in need to access the “help yourself” shelves outside of the regular hamper pick-up times on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
With ample food on the shelves following the Christmas season, Hughes said the food bank is in great shape for the time being, but will rely on the public to continue donating in order to provide for outside of the so-called “season of giving.”
“If we didn’t get anything else in two months, we would have empty crates on our shelves,” she said. “It’s shocking how quickly we go through the food when we’re feeding as many families as we are.
“And I really think 2016 and into 2017 it’s going to get worse. Some of the stories we’re hearing, it’s heart-wrenching and scary.”
She said people who were donating to the food bank as little as six months ago have been forced to turn to the service to put meals on their own tables in light of the economy and layoffs.
To accommodate the additional needs of the community, the food bank welcomes monetary donations and gift cards to shop for specific needs and specialty items like dairy products, she said.
“We also do a ‘What’s Needed Wednesday’ list on Facebook,” said Hughes. “People can go on there, see what we need, because it changes every week depending on what we go through most.”
Some items appearing on the list regularly are peanut butter, toilet paper, diapers size four and larger, crackers, pasta, rice and coffee. Hughes said cleaning supplies and basic toiletries are also necessary but not purchased by the food bank. The food bank focuses its purchases on food items like meat, fresh produce, milk cards and eggs, she said.
According to Food Banks Canada meals metrics, low overhead costs and careful planning allow food banks to convert every dollar donated into three meals’ worth of food, she said.
When every penny counts, donations like the one made by local businesses like Scotiabank can make a difference, she said. The bank recently provided $10,876 in food and cash.
Branch manager Kerry Jamieson said one of the bank’s employees volunteers at the food bank. She identified the need and brought it to the bank, where clients and employees donated food and money over the month of December.
The branch raised a total of $5,876 and met minimum criteria for volunteer hours and impact for the Scotiabank corporation to match the donation with an additional $5,000, he said.
“We raised money and food that was really needed in our community and raised awareness of the food bank,” said Jamieson. “We’re committed and dedicated and we’re not done yet. There’s going to be ongoing need.”
Hughes hopes that the generosity of Okotoks businesses and residents will keep the shelves stocked during the food bank’s great time of need – spring and summer.
When the food bank is well-stocked, items like pasta and boxed macaroni and cheese fill four shelves, nine crates deep, she said, but during August 2015 the food bank was down to two crates of macaroni and even less soup.
Ultimately, Hughes said, it’s about helping out families in their time of need by providing the ingredients for healthy meals without judgment.
“There are some people just trying to hold on to their houses, and food is their flexible item, so they’ll spend less on that just to keep their lights on and their rent paid,” said Hughes. “It we can help them with that year-round, that’s all that matters.”
