An increase in the number of people needing assistance and low donations for the Spring Food Drive May 1 has meant the St. Albert Food Bank is still short on food.
Suzan Krescy, executive director of the St. Albert Food Bank, said they are grateful for all of the donations from the spring drive, but sadly it just hasn't been enough.
Krescy said this decline in donations happens every year around this time. However, with the pandemic, more people are seeking help from the food bank, which means there hasn't been enough to meet the increased demand.
"We are still seeing that increasing client activity and a decrease in donations coming in, but I don't want anybody to feel bad about it because, historically, this always happens. I sit on the board for the provincial office, and this happens right across the country every year, but you know COVID has thrown a bit of a monkey wrench into everything," Krescy said.
There are several reasons why donations are down around this time of year, a big one being that schools are out in the late spring and summer. "Schools are the folks that really keep their finger on the pulse of what's happening, and kids are always doing little food drives for us and always collecting for us, and people go away on holidays, you know, and they're away from work, and it's just not something that is top of their mind. It's not intentional. It's just that people get busy doing other things," said Krescy.
Krescy said the high unemployment rates have left a greater need in the community. She adds that even when people do get jobs right now, it is often not full-time work.
Another reason for the continued struggle is that many people deferred payments when the pandemic started. Now those bills have all come due, and not everybody understood how that would work. "Some of them had no idea. They thought when you defer something, the payments are gone, and then you start back up again later, but you don't have to pay it back. That part they didn't understand, and some are coming in with a $1,000 power bill," Krescy said.
This has left some with the tough decision of whether to pay for rent or buy food and some, Krescy said, have already had their power cut off.
St Albert's food bank services are of the utmost importance, something single mother of three Ace Herod knows all too well. Last year when she lost her job and found herself in a tight situation, a friend pointed her in the food bank's direction.
"I had a friend actually reach out to me, and she encouraged me to reach out to them. I did, and they were super welcoming. They were all so kind. They don't make you feel like you're in need. They're such lovely people. They asked if we had any allergies, and then they had the bags ready to go with my name," said Herod.
It was such an overwhelmingly kind experience that Herod said she cried when she got home and brought in all of her bags. She admits she was initially reluctant. She had never had to reach out before. Once she put her pride aside, she was grateful for the support.
"Everybody struggles in different ways, but the people there are just, hands down, effortless to make a connection with," Herod said. Herod said the two months she made use of food bank donations until she got back on her feet helped instill in her the importance of giving back to the community.
The St. Albert Food Bank provides more than just food, including multiple services to help those in the community, such as utility-relief grants, and a community liaison who can assist people in finding programs for support.
Kerscy said right now the food bank is low on items such as canned soups, canned meats, tuna, and even rice, which they would typically have a fair amount of. The food bank also accepts monetary donations for those who prefer to give funds over food.
