Murray Wood: Of Easter bunny bells and Juicy Fruit gum
For Murray Wood, Easter brings to mind grandma's practical advice about repurposing, and some of life's little lessons.
Food banks were designed to be an emergency stopgap, but have now become part of the monthly budget for many people, says Michael Kincade, executive director of Food Banks of Saskatchewan.
He told Evan Bray this week that food banks are meant to be a support for a community, not a requirement.
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“I used to say to people, my job is to work my way out of a job, but that’s not the case anymore. Food banks were designed to be an emergency thing, but we’ve become part of the monthly budget. We’re not going away,” he said.
Food Banks of Saskatchewan launched a campaign on April 1 called Neighbours Nourishing Neighbours to raise awareness about the 36 food banks in the province and the rise in demand for their services.
Kincade said food banks everywhere have seen an increase in families using food banks, “and with the cost of living so high, donations are down.”
“Those people who maybe had a little bit of disposable income and could donate or help out, they don’t have that anymore, and in a lot of cases, they’re having to come to a food bank now,” he said.
In an effort to better manage that high demand and lack of donations, the organization has chosen to reduce the number of visits from two visits per household a month to one.
The food bank also plans to adjust food quantities in an effort to ensure sustainability and introduce verification steps.
“There are people out there that are struggling, a lot of people don’t want to think about it, but really, the people that we’re helping, they’re our friends, our family, even our neighbours. I guarantee everyone knows somebody that’s using a food bank, whether they know it or not,” said Kincade.
Over the last few years the cost of living for the average Canadian has skyrocketed. Data released by Statistics Canada in January showed 46.6 per cent of Saskatchewan residents found it difficult for their household to meet financial needs.
As gas prices rise due to the war in the Middle East, transport costs are also impacting groceries.
Donations can be made at canadahelps.org
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