Saskatoon Food Bank remains closed to allow for COVID-19 testing

The Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre is hoping to open its doors on Friday at the earliest after closing Monday due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

Executive director Laurie O’Connor said a staff member tested positive for the novel coronavirus last week before two more employees tested positive last Sunday.

The decision was made to close to allow staff to be tested and ensure there weren’t any more positive cases.

“We had lots of discussions. (It’s) heart-wrenching, of course, because it’s very difficult to close,” she said. “We know how impactful that is for folks.”

With some of Saskatoon’s most vulnerable people depending on the food bank, O’Connor said it was extremely difficult to close for a few days, but she thanked other community-based agencies like the Salvation Army and The Friendship Inn for being able to ensure people weren’t without food.

The goal is to reopen on Friday, but O’Connor is awaiting test results from staff members to ensure there is a minimum number of workers available first.

“We know the enormous pressure other community-based organizations feel when we’re closed,” O’Connor said.

Saskatoon Friendship Inn executive director Sandra Kary said there has been plenty of collaboration between those groups throughout the pandemic.

With word of the nearby food bank closing, Kary ensured extra staff would be available to handle any influx of people looking for a hot meal.

“We are doing our very best to provide food security to the community, and we have the capacity,” Kary said.

With outbreaks previously reported at the Lighthouse Supported Living Inc. and now the food bank, Kary can’t help but worry and wonder what could happen at the Friendship Inn even with all the added safety measures in place.

“For sure it makes me anxious when I see my colleagues having outbreaks in their facilities,” she said. “Certainly, it’s an anxious time.”

Kary said staff are taking things one day at a time to make sure the doors can stay open daily.

O’Connor and Kary are thankful for all the community support to keep operations as normal as possible.

“We couldn’t do this if we felt like we were alone and isolated,” Kary said. “Even though we are separated by distance, we do feel the community support.”

Update: In a release sent late Thursday, the Saskatoon Food Bank said it would remain closed Friday. It says it will make the Emergency Food Hamper program available to the public on Monday, starting at 10 a.m.