A little helping hand
Annapolis Valley food banks noting spikes in demand for service
Ashley Hingley knows how essential food banks are to the community.
A volunteer with the Matthew 25 Windsor and District Food Bank and former one-time client, she sees the need firsthand.
“They didn’t make you feel like there was something wrong because you needed the help and I just wanted to do that myself and be there for those who might need a little helping hand,” Hingley says about why she got involved.
She has been at the food bank two days a week for about two and a half years.
The holiday season is the busiest time for donations, with many organizations and workplaces collecting on the food bank’s behalf.
This rings true with other food banks in the Annapolis Valley. While they receive food throughout the year, the larger amount they receive during the holidays helps to service clients during the winter months.
In November, the Windsor food bank starts taking names for Christmas dinners, too. In previous years, the organization has prepared holiday groceries for 200 people.
It also provides clients with clothes if they need them, and when donations allow, will send them home with small gifts.
“We don’t get to do it every year, but we’re lucky enough to be able to do it this year,” Hingley said, adding clients seem to appreciate it. She says one volunteer recalls the happy look on a client’s face when they received a potato peeler from the food bank that happened to match a paring knife given to them by a sibling.
“There’s many a time where I’ve even had tears in my eyes because I never realized how grateful some people are about this kind of stuff.”
Hingley finds demand for regular groceries is increasing, with at least two new clients each month. Approximately 50 clients visit the food bank each week, which can mean 200 orders a month for both full groceries and what the organization calls bread orders – a oncea-week option of bread, sweets and vegetables.
STEADY DEMAND ACROSS VALLEY
At 12 Baskets Food Bank in Nictaux, regular client demand is steady.
“Not a month goes by that we don’t have new clients,” says manager Joan Morrison, who has been volunteering with the food bank for approximately 18 years, since her retirement.
“I went in as a board member to represent my church and then I decided to come in and see what was actually going on and I’ve been here ever since.”
The Nictaux organization typically sees 25 clients on each of the three days it’s open during the week.
Demand is up for Christmas hampers, too. Morrison says the food bank provided 85 holiday dinners last year, and already has more than 100 names this year. She thinks the reason behind that could be unemployment in the area.
Berwick Food Bank is also getting ready for a few more Christmas dinners this year.
Volunteer co-ordinator and co-assistant manager Mariana Franey says the Berwick organization is preparing for 110 boxes for adults, compared to last year’s numbers of 103. She notes that larger families are referred to Friendly Neighbours because that organization is able to give out more food and additional items.
“It certainly hasn’t decreased at all, the Christmas boxes. We are taking names and we’ve only been taking names for a couple of weeks. I think we have 69 already. We still have a few more weeks to go, so I suspect it will soon reach 100.”
Regular visits are comparable to last year’s numbers, she says.
“I’m seeing a lot of what I would call the ‘working poor.' They just cannot manage. They can’t make it, you know, the cost of everything is going up. Even, sometimes, two people just getting minimum wage, they hardly can manage. And we’re seeing a lot of single people - a lot. I think, perhaps, in some cases, their partner has passed away, their pensions are reduced and they just don’t have the income that they had,” says Franey.
One thing the Berwick Food Bank particularly needs is grocery bags, either plastic or cloth. She estimates each client receives eight to 10 bags a visit, and about 30 to 40 people are seen each week.
“I’m not too sure what we’re gonna do when the ban comes on plastic bags.”
In Windsor, the food bank is looking for more toilet paper, spreads, dry goods like rice and pasta, school snacks, and turkeys. Nictaux is also seeking spreads and pasta.
Hingley says the food bank is always grateful when donations come in after they put out a call for a particular item.
“We would like to say ‘thank you’ definitely to our community for supporting us as well.”