(Eli J. Ridder/CHAT News)

By Eli J. Ridder | @EliRidder

COMMUNITY

‘Working to grow hope in Medicine Hat’: Mustard Seed requests urgent help

May 9, 2024 | 3:33 PM

The Mustard Seed says it needs urgent support from the Medicine Hat community as it faces unprecedented demand for its services that has placed increasing strain on the non-profit’s resources.

Food supplies are running low, Mustard Seed’s senior director of food service Laura Giesbrecht said on Thursday.

“Currently, we are over capacity for our shelter, which then puts us over-capacity for our meals,” Giesbrecht told CHAT News.

The Medicine Hat Community Impact Centre currently provides 200 to 250 meals per day, on average.

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“With the rising cost of food prices and the increase in demand, we’re finding it harder to meet ends meet,” Giesbrecht explained.

Those that wish to help out can bring in items on the Mustard Seed’s urgently needed items list, including rice, noodles, canned soup, granola bars, flour, sugar and other food found on at TheSeed.ca/Urgently-Needed.

The Seed is able to purchase food in bulk through donation made at TheSeed.ca/Inflation.

Hatters can also donate their time by volunteering at the Mustard Seed.

No amount of help is too small, Giesbrecht said.

“Each individual has the opportunity to make a real impact, and sometimes it feels like the small things that we might be able to contribute actually won’t go very far and make make much of a difference, but it does,” she said.

“I would encourage everyone to think about ways that they might be able to either volunteer, give back that way, or to contribute financially. We are working to grow hope in Medicine Hat and that can only be done with the support of the community.”