Owner of Smoke's Poutinerie Prince Albert Wendy Pellegrini, left, and executive director of Prince Albert Food Bank Kim scruby, right, pose for a picture in front of a donation from the restaurant.  (Smoke's Poutinerie Prince Albert/Facebook)

By Ian Gustafson

Much Needed

Smoke’s Poutinerie donates to Prince Albert Food Bank

Apr 17, 2020 | 4:12 PM

In this time of uncertainty food banks are asking for more help and Smoke’s Poutinerie stepped up to help.

The owner of the Prince Albert location announced they partnered up with Sysco Canada and Leon’s Furniture to donate 700 pounds of potatoes and $650 to the Prince Albert Food Bank.

Wendy Pellegrini told paNOW Smoke’s Poutinerie is doing this Canada wide donating to all their local food banks.

“Everybody is in tough times and we have to fight this together we can’t separate ourselves and think that it’s not affecting everybody because it’s affecting the whole world,” Pellegrini said. “Not just our own personal selves.”

She said her husband Dean Pellegrini, who owns Leon’s Furniture, wanted to help as well. He added a $650 cash donation.

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“I think the Food Bank is always in need of help someway somehow, so this was just another way to help out in the community,” she said. “I think the best thing to do is that we just keep fighting this together as a whole because if we don’t support each other we lose the definition of community.”

Food Bank executive director Kim Scruby said he knew they were getting a donation but did not know how much.

“Yeah it was a huge surprise. For non-perishable items, potatoes are probably the best thing we can get,” Scruby said.

Scruby said he and his fellow staff members expect a higher turnout at the food bank once the impact of layoffs sets in.

The location also received a $20,000 donation earlier this week.

“The community has been great. Anytime we’re in need, they step up and support us,” Scruby said.

NDP calling on province to support food banks

Prince Albert NDP MLA Nicole Rancourt is calling on the Government of Saskatchewan to match the federal government funding to food banks.

Rancourt said the federal government is providing $50 million to food banks across the country and $1.5 million will come to Saskatchewan. She is asking the provincial government to match the $1.5 million.

“We know the Saskatchewan food banks are trying to fundraise $6 million. They’re saying that’s about how much money they’re going to need to help provide extra services with this pandemic,” Rancourt said. “That would meet half of the provincial food banks’ goal in getting their $6 million that they believe they’re going to need to meet the needs.”

Rancourt said she spoke with members of the Saskatchewan Food Bank Association who penned a letter to opposition leader Ryan Meili asking for extra support.

“Our understanding is that the government has indicated to them that they do not plan on providing any extra support and so we believe that at this time and due to the circumstances that the government should be providing some extra support,” she said.

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Ian.gustafson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @iangustafson12