The Prince Albert Food Bank is helping the Bernice Sayese Centre with the initiative. (file photo/paNOW Staff)

By Michael Joel-Hansen

Feeding the community

Community program steps in to help fill voids created by COVID-19 pandemic

Jul 27, 2020 | 5:30 PM

Work is continuing to help keep children fed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the initiatives working to do this is After the Bell Food Packs, which is providing breakfast bags to kids who are in need. Trisha Budd, who has been working with her colleague Kelsea Sinclair for the Bernice Sayese Centre to deliver the hampers, said they have been seeing steady growth.

“We’re delivering about 500 bags a month right now and I expect our numbers just to keep going up,” she said.

The breakfast program is a collaboration involving the Bernice Sayese Centre, West Flat Citizens Group, Prince Albert Food Bank and the Government of Canada.

Budd said the bags, which can contain a range of items from cereals to fresh fruit, are handed out once every two weeks. The program is budgeted to run over the whole summer until Aug. 28. Budd explained the early school shutdown led to food security issues for many children.

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“A lot of kids go to school and they get their snack program or the breakfast program,” she said.

When they are out making deliveries, Budd and Sinclair also make time to sign others up for the program. The local school division also sent out emails to let families know of the program’s existence.

While the Bernice Sayese Centre is located in the West Flat, Budd said they have been offering services to families outside the neighbourhood.

“We reached out to all parts of the city,” she said.

Kim Scruby, executive director of the P.A. Food Bank, said with the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down many feeding programs, his organization is working with others to help fill the void.

“We’re helping out any of the community organizations that are stepping up to fill that gap,” he said.

Scruby said the fact that community groups have stepped up to help fill gaps created by the pandemic says a lot about P.A. He added at the food bank they have recently started to see more people coming through the door.

“With the reopenings and that type of thing we definitely are,” he said.

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn