Executive Director with the Battlefords District Food and Resource Centre, Erin Katerynych receives a donation check toward the local food bank. (submitted photo/Kathleen Crowther)

By Martin Martinson

Donations making a difference

Food banks of Saskatchewan raise over $3 million through year-end initiative

Jan 29, 2021 | 5:25 PM

The totals are in.

Over $3 million was raised collectively for The Food Banks of Saskatchewan to close out the 2020 calendar year, as part of the annual Home for the Holidays campaign.

The donations, which were raised from late November to year’s end, are distributed to each of the 36 registered food banks across the province, except in cases where a donor has directed their contribution to a specific location.

Executive Director with the Food Banks of Saskatchewan, Laurie O’Connor, said the $3 million raised this year was actually up from the approximately $2.5 million raised the year prior; a positive sight with food banks requiring more support than ever due to the ongoing pandemic.

“It’s just great to see such an overwhelming support for the work that food banks are doing,” she said. “We are always so grateful for the community’s support and it is really uplifting to know that when people see their neighbours struggling, they come forward and support the work that we do.”

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O’Connor said in addition to larger numbers of people relying on the food bank’s services, there are also the increased costs that come with new and added measures in place, to ensure the health and safety of all.

“There is the personal protective equipment that needs to be purchased, and there might be increased staffing costs and other operational costs for things like cleaning products, as well that perhaps we weren’t purchasing prior to the pandemic,” she said. “So the donations will really make a big difference in the work food banks can do across the province.”

Manager of the Battlefords District Food and Resource Centre Heather O’Neill, said the funding will go a long ways to ensuring they can continue to keep their shelves stocked through the winter season, for those in need in the Battlefords community.

“We’re definitely happy to see the funding coming, because when we get straight funds, it allows us to be able to purchase food and purchase things that we may be short on that we don’t get donated, so these donations are certainly very helpful to us,” she said.

The $3 million will be distributed based on the number of people using a given food bank in the province, to ensure those that are the most heavily relied upon can continue to provide for the people in need in their community.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1