Cereal is one of the greatest needs to fill bare shelves at High Prairie and District Food Bank. The cereal above was purchased, not donated.

Food bank puts out call for donations in tough times

Richard Froese
South Peace News

Shelves are empty of donations at the High Prairie and District Food Bank and the call is out to replenish the stock.

“Our cupboards are bare,” says director Kim Dumont.
“We had to buy some groceries so we could put some food on the shelves.”

Specifically, the food bank requests children’s lunch snacks, cookies and granola bars, canned vegetables, cold and hot cereal, peanut butter, jam, juice boxes and flour.

“Anything will help,” Dumont says.

Already, a part of the community is responding. When board member Tammy Kaleta shared the need at High Prairie Victory Life Church on May 15, Pastor Luc Portelance immediately launched a food drive and encouraged people in the congregation to bring food to Sunday services in May.

People can also donate to the food bank at the upcoming Christian Community Gospel Sing at the High Prairie Nazarene Church on May 29 from 6-8 p.m., says Pastor Brian Gilroy.

Donations to food banks, including High Prairie, are historically low in the spring and summer, so the call is more desperate as the size of food hampers shrink.

“Our hampers are getting smaller,” says Dumont.

She is grateful for a donation of bottled water this month.

“We’ve noticed our donations are down in the past two years,” says Dumont.

In fact, donations in 2015 dropped by 40 percent from the previous year.

Dumont is also waiting word to determine if food will be shipped in by Alberta Food Banks, which supports member food banks.

For more information, please phone the food bank at [780] 523-5777.