The Moose Jaw & District Food Bank took in plenty of holiday donations throughout December of this year, but operations manager Terri Smith still estimates there was less traffic through the non-profit’s doors compared to last year.
That doesn’t necessarily mean there is less need for supports like the food bank, said Smith. It's more of a reflection of the circumstances of the ongoing pandemic that dominated 2020.
“We had a lot of bumps this year, and we’re not the only ones that did,” said Smith. “But I’m very glad for the turnout. It was a lot of work, and we went home quite tired every day but I’m very thankful that things went the way the did.”
Due to COVID-19, the Moose Jaw Food Bank had to limit the number of people allowed inside its building to follow public health regulations, including shifting to a by-appointment format for hamper pickups and donation drop-offs.
Volunteers are limited due to space in the warehouse, meaning that sorting through item donations is more work with fewer hands. For a while, the food bank even shifted to just taking monetary donations, due to lack of manpower, an overwhelmed storage space, and concerns over “quarantining” donated foodstuffs for safety.
“The way we’re handing out hampers is quite a bit different than what we were doing pre-COVID, and all hampers have to be made up ahead of time,” said Smith. “It has made our jobs harder to do, but it is definitely a lot easier for some clients to come pick up this way.”
Smith said that in terms of item donations, there was probably about 100,000 pounds less food that made it onto the food bank’s shelves this year. She also said that the non-profit served fewer clients served compared to last year, due to the combined disruptions caused by the pandemic — including the ongoing anxiety keeping many clients at home.
“April and May were quieter months here, just because everything was kind of locked down, and that affected our total numbers for the year,” said Smith. “There was a lot of uncertainties, and I think some clients were kind of scared to come out of their houses, to go too far.”
Despite this, she continued, December is usually one of the busiest months for volunteers and this season was no different.
The food bank stayed open right until Christmas Eve this year, which is unusual, but the new pickup rules made it necessary to ensure all clients had a chance to grab their hamper this year.
“We figured that this year, the community would need us to be open for a couple more days,” said Smith.
Smith said there was also a large influx of donations again this year, just like any other year. Community groups and local individuals made sure the food bank was well-prepared for their holiday hampers, despite the rocky year.
The local Kinsmen Club adjusted its annual Santa Claus Parade this year, collecting over 7,000 pounds of food for the food bank, while the Holiday Train food drive at the Moose Jaw Co-op, held with CP Rail and other sponsors, collected a total of $16,000 worth of food items for the food bank — topping last year’s total by a mile.
“There was an anonymous donor who donated $10,000 to buy (1,000 bags of food items),” said Smith, of the successful annual event. “That was a nice boost, right before Christmas, that will give us a little sigh of relief for a few extra months, where we don’t have to buy too much right away.”
Smith and her staff were pleased to see so much support throughout the year, and they are already back at work to continue doing good in the city.
The food bank’s storage space is currently well-stocked in non-perishable items, said Smith, but there are some items that the non-profit is always welcoming as donations.
As one of the organization’s goals is to provide healthier food hampers to clients, perishable items like milk, fresh fruits and vegetables and meat are a top priority donation. These items can only be dropped off at the food bank’s warehouse on Fairford Street West, preferably by calling first to confirm availability.
Non-perishable items like canned fruit, canned meats, beans and pasta sauce are also great staples the food bank always needs. These items can be dropped in any donation bins in grocery stores or at the warehouse directly.
The food bank is also happy to take baby food, diapers or other baby supplies as well as cleaning products like laundry detergent or dish soap to include in hampers as well.
Smith feels very good about the year that the Moose Jaw & District Food Bank has had, and she said the organization is looking forward to an even better year in 2021.
“There was a lot of uncertainties for us this year, so that’s why a lot of our numbers are down (but) they are climbing now and I expect 2021 to be very busy, client-wise and donation-wise,” said Smith. “This year, especially, I would like to thank the community, the volunteers and my staff for just keeping it together, for being there for each other. When so many of us are down, whether it's a monetary donation, a food donation or even just a smile — it goes a long way, and I’ve got a lot of hope for 2021.”
