Medicine Hat & District Food Bank (photo courtesy Bob Schneider)

By Chantal Wagner

Need for local food bank’s services “higher than ever”

Oct 9, 2020 | 4:54 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – With Thanksgiving on the doorstep and Christmas around the corner, the federal government is boosting funding for food banks across the country.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday the government is adding another $100-million to the Emergency Food Security Fund for food banks and Indigenous organizations.

The federal money will help organizations meet the surge in demand for their services caused by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ottawa also gave food banks $100-million when the pandemic started in April.

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Executive Director for the Medicine Hat & District Food Bank Celina Symmonds says those funds in the spring came in small disbursements from Food Banks Canada over months.

She says federal funds have a small impact locally as that money is spread across Canada and to other agencies.

According to Food Banks Canada, the national organization represents ten provincial associations, approximately 650 affiliated food banks, and over 3-thousand food programs.

Symmonds says the need in our region is higher than ever.

“Well, certainly we’re grateful that the federal government is really starting to notice that food banks in Canada are doing great work in feeding hungry people and so we’re excited about that. The number of course seems very large for our food bank. It’s probably going to look like around $10,000,” Symmonds said.

She emphasized to Chat News that there is an increased need in our city for the food bank.

“We’ve of course seen a lot of tragedy in our community in the last little while. We’re seeing much more mental illness and addiction issues that are hitting our community and the food bank is the front line of that.”

On Friday alone, Symmonds said they had 75 cars go through their drive-thru.

“75 families in need of food so the need in Medicine Hat is getting more and more every day. And really the need for cash and food items here at the food bank is significant. Right now we’re just heading into Chat Food Drive so we’re really hoping businesses and individuals in our community come together again and support our local food bank.”

The Chat Food Drive is coming up in November from the 17-19.

Rossco’s Pub also made 285 home-cooked Thanksgiving dinners for families in the community.

Those meals went out to families on Friday.

Symmonds says the meals were also shared with the city’s permanent supportive housing group.

(with files from the Canadian Press)