Newfoundlanders use bulk-buying to tackle food insecurity
As Newfoundlanders face increasing financial strain due to the rising cost of living, bulk buying is a common way to save money, but it has also become a way to help those in need.
Bulk buying refers to the purchasing of larger quantities of goods at one time, for a price that is lower than usual. Bulk buying can be done at stores like Costco or Wholesale Club.
For Felicia Abbott, Lewisporte resident and admin of the “Neighbours in Need” Facebook group, wholesale shopping has become an essential way to feed her five children. “I can get a huge pack of fruit snacks, with 90 in a box for $14.99, but if I went to the grocery store, I’d get a small box with six packets for $6.99.”
In Abbott’s personal life, wholesale stores have made a huge difference in providing food for her family. She shops at Payne’s Wholesale in Lewisporte, which she explained is a store that collects items from Costco in St. John’s, to be resold in Lewisporte.
“It’s all bulk and it’s all reasonably priced,” she explained. And, “If there’s anything Payne’s doesn’t have that you want, all you have to do is leave a note with the owners,” she added.
Bulk purchasing has emerged as a strategy for communities to combat food insecurity. Through clubs and social media, bulk buying can provide opportunities for people to foster community and support each other.
BULK-BUYING CLUBS
In the face of rising food costs, Food First NL suggests bulk-buying clubs as a way for communities to work together to create equitable access to healthy food.
According to Food First NL program co-ordinator Sarah Crocker, a “bulk-buying club is a group of people who come together to buy food in bulk. Participants are involved in the planning, shopping and sorting of food, and these clubs enable individuals to work together and get more with their food dollars.”
While Food First NL doesn’t manage these clubs directly, they provide resources and guidance for interested groups. Crocker explained that bulk-buying clubs can happen informally. Bulk-buying clubs can be as simple as going to Costco and splitting the cost of items with friends.
Bulk-buying clubs can also happen at a greater scale. For example in Rigolet, Labrador, the community created “The Good Food Box Program” to overcome the high cost, limited availability and low quality of store-bought foods. According to the Food First NL website, This program involved co-ordinating a group of people to order food in bulk, so residents could share the cost of shipping.
Food First NL also operates a program called “Food on the Move” which, according to Crocker, is a “mobile popup grocery store and mobile library in partnership with public libraries.”
While this isn’t exactly a bulk-buying club, Food First will purchase food from wholesalers and local producers and sell it at six different community centres in St. John’s, including housing community centres and the MUN campus.
“We offer affordable produce, vegetables and fruits at the best price we can find,” said Crocker.
This initiative not only addresses food affordability but transportation and access, as well. “We try to make it convenient and we try to make it social.”
‘NEIGHBOURS IN NEED’
Buying food in bulk has also made it easier for a social media group to use donations to feed hungry families.
In 2020, Snowmageddon left many stranded for days without access to grocery stores. Cortney Barber, a Newfoundlander residing in Alberta, witnessed the struggles of her family and friends from afar and wondered how she could help. Barber took action by creating “Neighbours in Need,” a Facebook group designed to bridge the gap between those facing hardship and those eager to lend a helping hand.
Barber had 26 families in need when the group first started, and she had received a $200 donation. She was able to support those families in need by making bulk purchases. The group continues to make bulk purchases with monetary donations to support families in need.
The group is still on the go today, now with 31,300 members. Run by Barber, a group of admins and volunteer community members, the group continues to support people in need. The group also facilitates a community kitchen to cook and provide meals and hampers. Abbott and other team members support the group’s operations on a volunteer basis by carrying out grocery orders for those who cannot do it themselves.
Barber now runs the group from her home in Edmonton.
“We have 100 active volunteers,” said Barber. Volunteers help run things on the ground in Newfoundland and 20 admins also support the burgeoning Facebook page.
Bulk buying is especially useful for fresh foods like meat, dairy, fruits and vegetables — which are items that are difficult to come by at food banks.
“Being able to purchase fresh items bulk and provide them to the community ... that’s something that we wouldn’t be able to do without purchasing bulk,” Barber explained.
“We are probably helping out 40 to 50 families with shared groceries per month,” she added.
Barber also felt that the need became more dire after COVID. “The price of everything has skyrocketed, and incomes have stayed the same,” she explained. “It’s a crisis, and people are normalizing being hungry.”
Wholesale purchasing has been essential for the group to continue.
“Buying from Wholesale Club is amazing,” said Barber. “The way that we’re able to purchase in bulk and pay those bulk prices and split it between people, individuals and families has allowed us to be able to help people in the capacity that we have.”
Recently, the group was working on putting together Easter baskets and organizing Easter sponsors for children.
‘EVERYBODY IS STRUGGLING’
While bulk buying might help you save money, it can also foster community and bring people together.
Crocker explained that bulk-buying groups are an example of “collective buying power” and “working together.” She adds: “It’s interesting to work together with people, your neighbours, family, who share your values.”
Abbott said that since the pandemic “everybody is struggling, everybody is having to scale down their purchasing.” She adds: “If everybody would help each other, it might just make things a little bit easier.”
“People in this day and age are struggling by themselves, and if we could bring back community and that sense of doing things together, we have a fighting chance,” said Barber.