Prairie Gleaners workers moving soup mix ingredients on August 7, 2020 (Photo courtesy of Scott Roblin)

By Scott Roblin

Non-Profit Connection

Prairie Gleaners & Mustard Seed teaming up to eliminate hunger locally

Aug 7, 2020 | 6:11 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Prairie Gleaners has become one of this area’s most well known local charitable groups with their work on the global stage, providing food aid to those in third-world countries.

For the first time though, the organization is looking to support those in their back yard thanks to a new partnership with the local chapter of the Mustard Seed.

Every week, Prairie Gleaners will be donating two bags of their dehydrated soup mix to the Mustard Seed, with each bag feeding up to 125 clients.

“We know that there’s food security here and that’s huge for us,” said Mustard Seed managing director Colette Eirich. “When people come to our doors they’re broken, they need support, and we don’t want to turn anyone away because our basic essential need is hunger. So, when we know we have food that we’re able to provide them, that’s a huge impact of what our mission for the Mustard Seed stands for.”

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It’s a step in a new direction for Prairie Gleaners, who haven’t had much experience partnering with local non-profits.

Ed Codding, president of the Prairie Gleaners Society said it’s going to add an extra layer of good feelings getting to see the impact these donations will have in the community.

“It gives us an opportunity to really see the good that our product does,” said Codding. “Of course, when we’re providing international food aid we don’t really see that, we rely on feedback from the organization coming to us. But, in this case we can actually see this is going to the Mustard Seed and is being used locally.”

The donations come at an opportune time for the Mustard Seed as they are currently exploring an expansion to their services to including both breakfast and lunch.

Seeing another non-profit like Prairie Gleaners jump on board with their message is something that is helping to strengthen community bonds according to Eirich.

“They understand us and they have the same vision as we do,” said Eirich. “We’re locally, where they might be through the world which is even more powerful. But, to see it on a local level is huge and I appreciate that they’re looking at us as a long-term partner.”

This might not even be the only instance of soup mix finding its way into Mustard Seed locations, as there has been some discussion surrounding Prairie Gleaners supplying all five Mustard Seeds in Alberta and British Columbia.

For now, Prairie Gleaners is using this as a three-month pilot project in Medicine Hat to see what the interest level is like locally before they consider expanding.

“At the end of that three months we really want to sit down and evaluate how useful has this been from their point of view, from their clients’ point of view?” said Codding. “Is this something that really might be useful in other locations?”

It’s estimated that between 80 and 100 clients use Mustard Seed services at the Medicine Hat location every day.