An effort is underway in Saskatoon to make it less stressful for put food on the table this holiday season.
Through a holiday food drive until Dec. 24, all Real Canadian Superstores, YIG West, No Frills, Wholesale Club and Extra Foods stores in the city are collecting non-perishable items as well as cash donations.
Store manager Wes Johnson has been at the Superstore on Confederation Drive for two and a half years and said sometimes people can forget about giving.
“The holiday season is stressful so being a large retail corporation, we try to lead a forward approach and we try to collect food and or money for those people so we can take the stress off of that holiday season and try to brighten it for everybody,” Johnson said.
“I believe the (COVID-19) pandemic is having an impact on donations … I think more people are meeting different hardships they didn’t know they were going to meet before with different restrictions, et cetera.
“This year, I can see the generosity more than I have before and I think with still what we’re facing day-to-day, I see the future as bright, I think, and with that giving peace of mind, people are still giving. It’s great.”
According to Food Banks Canada, since the start of the pandemic, food bank visits have increased by over 20 per cent nationally, which rivals the 2008 recession when it comes to food insecurity.
It added, in Saskatchewan, children alone made up 39.8 per cent of local food bank visits while seniors make up 4.8 per cent of overall visits.
Officials said all donations will go to Saskatoon Food Bank & Learning Centre to help community members in need. Bins for food items can be found in the stores and monetary donations are accepted at the checkout.