Food banks in rural Manitoba are seeing an increase in users, and for some, that's coming at the expense of revenue.
Evergreen Basic Needs in Gimli, Manitoba has been serving people in and around the Interlake region for over 30 years.
“Some have been with us for quite some time, for one reason or another, but we've also seen Ukrainian newcomers, which is on the rise in many communities,” said Karen Bowman with Evergreen Basic Needs.
As a result, food bank use at Evergreen Basic Needs has increased by 30 percent since 2020.
“Since then, our donations have decreased by about the same amount,” Bowman said.
According to Harvest Manitoba, rural food banks provided food to an average of about 35,000 households each month in 2022 and 2023, an increase of about 1,000 households from the previous year.
“Across the province, we're seeing an increase in people who are employed and have jobs using food banks, and the need has never been greater than it is now,” said Vince Barletta, CEO of Harvest Manitoba.
In Gimli, the number of households using the food bank jumped from 50 to 70 in 2022 and has remained stable since then.
Demand has a cost.
“We're buying food a lot more frequently now than we used to. Before the pandemic, we would buy food maybe once or twice a year. Since January, we've probably bought food four or five times, and each time we've bought between $2,000 and $3,000 worth of food.”
To help cover the high costs at Winnipeg Beach, local volunteers have decided to open a food pantry.
“The first day we were open in our new location, we had five people come in within the first hour, which is pretty good for a small community,” said Lisa Teal, one of the cupboard's operators.
The cupboard has been open to the public since November but moved to a larger space this week, allowing it to offer more flexible opening hours and respond to the needs of those in need.
“They don't get off work until 8 at night, or they have to come in during school hours, or they have to come in before their shift,” Teal said.
“We're trying to get the kids to take the lead on cupboard time.”
