MH Food Bank faces extraordinary challenges
Apart from its major food drive each November, March is typically the month that the Medicine Hat and District Food Bank needs to put a request out for food donations. March, 2020, however is anything but typical.
With an extraordinary number of people housebound and many laid off from their jobs because of COVID-19 restrictions, the demand for food bank services has increased just as much.
Celina Symmonds, executive director of the Medicine Hat and District Food Bank said they are needing all staple items, including the following: Monetary donations
Tomato sauce
Peanut butter
Canned vegetables
Kraft dinner
Canned tuna
Canned chicken
Sugar
Flour
Pasta
Dry beans
Oatmeal
Soup
Broth
She noted that at the given time, monetary donations would be the best way for people to donate and can do so at donate through e-transer at donate@mhfoodbank.com. The link is also on their website.
Those in the agriculture community who want to help out by donating beef, can donate their cow to Deerview Meats who will process it for ground beef and stewing meat.
“Donors will receive a charitable tax receipt based on the hanging weight of the carcass,” said
Symmonds.
The food bank has also had to close to the public because of the virus.
“We have had to change our operations and are delivering hampers,” she said, adding that school bus drivers from area school divisions, including Prairie Rose School Division, are making the deliveries.
Currently, about 100 hampers each day are being delivered.
If you are in need of a hamper, call 403-528-4313 and leave a message. Somebody from the food bank will then call back with a delivery time.
A message by the Medicine Hat and District Food Bank Association to community members reads, “We are expecting great need in the next few weeks and are in the process of sourcing and purchasing more food than predicted for this time of year. Any monetary donation is greatly appreciated to help ensure no one in our community goes without food during this uncertain time.”