More people are using food banks in Manitoba during the COVID-19 pandemic, including 4,700 new clients at Winnipeg Harvest last month — in which Harvest delivered more food than any other month in their history.
“We hear folks that have said they’ve been donating to Harvest for years on their own, whether it was food or funds, and never felt they would need it… and now they’re grateful we’re here because they need that support.”
Taylor-Hughes said although the increased need presents challenges, Harvest is also seeing individuals and organizations step up to support the charity’s efforts.
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Local chicken, dairy, egg and other producers, she said, have been regularly donating throughout the crisis, include some who have gone over and above the usual amounts they would give to the food bank.
“I think organizations that have surplus, instead of having to discard it, they’re looking at how do we preserve that and use it… they’re proud of their products and they don’t want to waste it, so they’re looking to us.”
Taylor-Hughes said Harvest has stepped up its own safety and sanitization efforts in the wake of the crisis, from putting in “extreme measures” around handwashing, sanitization, and bleaching of work stations, to setting up assembly-line style packaging stations that are compliant with social distancing rules.
Although they’ve been able to meet the demand so far — with the help of generous donors and communities stepping up and holding their own food drives — Taylor-Hughes said she’s not sure how sustainable the current situation will be in the long term.
“We’re actually quite concerned,” she said. “We’ve been fortunate there’s lots of federal support and programming in terms of funds that are going out, which I think is helping us stabilize at the moment.
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“But we know that when those funds wear out at about 14 or 16 weeks, we are going to see a dramatic spike in people that will still have no funds.
“We’re actually trying to really be smart and — it’s horrible to say — prepare for the worst. I think it’s going to be a lot worse before it gets better, and it’ll be a long time — it’ll take years for this to actually change for us.”
Despite the pandemic, Harvest is still seeking emergency volunteers, as well as donations of food and funding. Information about all the ways Winnipeggers can help the organization can be found on their website.
Food = Love <3
This month, we served 4,700 new clients, 27% more adults and 28% more children.
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