By Leah Murray

Food Bank says Food First project is a success

Mar 22, 2017 | 12:20 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — The Medicine Hat and District Food Bank is releasing the results of its year-long Food First Pilot Project.

The food bank started the project with the goal of helping 11 low-income families learn how to better prepare and provide food for themselves and their families.

The people who participated were all given a crock pot and a freezer thanks to donations from community partners.

Families were given cook books and taught how to prepare inexpensive meals ahead of time that could be frozen and used throughout the week or month, to decrease their reliance on the food bank and increase their ability to provide for their families.

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The program also provided families with supplementary food, coaching and mentorship, and help connecting with other social services in the city to enhance their overall well being.

Celina Symmonds, co-executive director of the Medicine Hat Food Bank, said the pilot demonstrated that addressing food security in this way benefited not only the families involved but the community as a whole.

The results indicate 27 per cent of the adults who participated in the program said they felt their ability to have and provide food for their families had increased.

The report also suggested food security for children had increased by 45 per cent.

“[My] mom didn’t teach me any life skills – budgeting, cooking [Food First helped with] learning something meaningful that I can pass down to my kids,” said one of the unidentified participants.

Of the eight people who participated in a follow up assessment, all of them reported they continued to have or had found stable housing.

When asked about basic needs the food bank said overall families reported having more of their needs being met without assistance, but food and transportation remain a consistent need.

The food bank said the ongoing needs are likely related to ongoing income challenges the participants face.

A surprising 30 per cent of people who participated in the program have reported increasing or starting volunteer work within the community.

When it comes to health issues at intake versus at the 12 month mark participants reported a seven per cent decrease in mental health conditions and a 12 per cent decrease in addictions and substance abuse.

“The way I was before – closed off, a hermit, depressed, [the program] helped me open up to myself as well,” said another of the unidentified participants.

Overall participants reported seeing an increase in income. In 12 months there was an overall increase in income of $793.93, an increase of 69 per cent.