PRAIRIES BACKBONE TO GIVING PROGRAM
Foodgrains Bank has evolved from the 1970s and continues to help those in need around the globe
Breaking bread together is an integral part of many faiths, but the Canadian Foodgrains Bank has taken that age-old tradition, expanded its scope and, by doing so, spread its impact across the globe.
It was Mennonite farmers on the Canadian Prairies who originally decided they should do something to help those lacking enough to eat in other parts of the world.
That decision came in 1976 amidst well- documented food shortages in many countries, especially those in Africa.
Those Mennonites, mainly based in Alberta and Manitoba, banded together to create a pilot project that would allow Canadian grain farmers to share part of their annual harvests with the less fortunate in other parts of the world.
It was a simple idea but it caught on and, in 1983, the program was expanded to include other church agencies. It became the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Since then, it has spread across the breadth of Canada, although Prairie farmers still remain its backbone.
In the early years, grain would simply be shipped to those countries suffering from famine.
And, as long as it was Canadian wheat that was being exported, the federal government would donate four dollars in relief funding for every one dollar’s worth of produce the bank exported.
However, farmers — being practical people — realized this wasn’t efficient, as many of those they were trying to help were used to eating rice or maize and had little use for wheat.
Plus, the high shipping costs ate away at the value of the donation.
So, after successfully lobbying Ottawa to make changes to the program and still keep the four-toone matching grant in place, the bank now sells the grain in North America and uses that money to buy local foods close to those places hit by conflict and famine.
“When we started out, one of the conditions was that we had to ship Canadian wheat overseas,” said the bank’s southern Alberta co-ordinator Andre Visscher.
“But it didn’t make a lot of sense as, in some areas, people were used to eating rice. They didn’t know what to do with wheat.
“Also, if we wanted to respond where food was needed immediately, it took a long time to get it there. So now we are raising money from the grain sales here and then purchasing food” as close as possible to the area where the need is.
“It is cheaper for us to buy locally and that helps the economy too, as we purchase for a fair price and give a fair income to the farmers in those areas,” he said.
The federal matching grant is capped at $25 million annually and the bank hopes Ottawa will even- tually lift that ceiling, as last year the farmers and the various church groups raised almost $12 million.
At an uncapped four-for-one dollar ratio, that would mean many more millions going to starving people.
Here in Alberta, the bank happily accepts cash donations, but most of the money raised still comes from farming the land, just as it was when the Mennonites began 40 years ago.
“The main way we raise funds is helping groups of farmers get together and rent a piece of land and then grow a crop together and donate the proceeds,” Visscher said.
“They are called growing projects and they become real com- munity events. In Coaldale this year, we had a project on one piece of land and at harvest time everyone brought a combine. We had about 20 combines that day and about 300 people showed up. It was a real celebration of raising funds. It doesn’t take long — it was done in an hour. When you can see 20 combines going altogether, that’s a great sight,” he said.
“It’s a good way of making people aware that there are those who do not have enough food in this world. And we have a responsibility to share and at the same time have some fun, bringing in a crop,” he added.
There are about 255 such projects across Canada with 39 of them based across Alberta and they can raise a lot of needed cash.
Visscher said farmers in Linden, 100 kilometres north of Calgary, rented two quarters of land, grew a crop and ultimately raised $200,000 when it was sold. With the matching government money that resulted in about a million dollars being raised.
Today, there are 15 different church organizations representing about 30 denominations taking part in the Foodgrains Bank.
Local organization on the ground in areas across the world hit by food shortages make a pitch for funds and the bank allocates resources accordingly.
The program has come a long way since those Mennonites decided to do something that mattered.
Yet at its core, the hope and the message remains the same.
“We are Christians and we believe that God will look after us, but we have a responsibility to look after our neighbour and sharing food is very important,” Visscher said. “When you see a neighbour doesn’t have enough, you go and help and you share.
“I went (on) a number of trips to Africa. Often when we visit these recipients, they feel they need to share a meal with us. It is very important.
“It isn’t about just one religion — we deal with all religions. It is about people that need food. But for me personally, I feel I am a witness in the name of Christ,” said Visscher.