Click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.
After approaching a record for hampers in May, the food bank is bracing for a busy summer. (File Photo/paNOW Staff)
By Rob Mahon
Food Bank Busier

Summer signals start of busy season for Prince Albert Food Bank

Jun 30, 2023 | 8:00 AM

You might think of summer as a time to relax, but in reality, it’s anything but relaxing for your local food bank.

The Prince Albert Food Bank has already nearly set a monthly record this spring, and the summer doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. That’s par for the course for them, however, as the summer months are often when they’re the busiest.

“Our overall volume actually goes up in the summertime, usually by 75 or 80 hampers a month,” said Kim Scruby, executive director of the Prince Albert Food Bank. “We deliver fresh fruit to three of the schools in Prince Albert and help with some of the feeding programs. In the summer, we partner up with the city of Prince Albert.”

That partnership accounts for some of the extra workload in the summer, but not all of it. May set the tone for what will likely be a summer full of hampers, and more of them than ever.

“For May, it was over 1300 hampers,” said Scruby. “That’s an average of just under three people per hamper. That adds up to a lot of folks. It’s over 3600 it adds up to.”

An option closer to home
Sturgeon Lake First Nation looking to secure long-term funding for new Birthing and Childrearing Lodge
7m ago
CKOM Staff
Former Saskatchewan Lieutenant Governor Vaughn Solomon Schofield dies at age 82
1h ago
Increasing costs
Travelers face higher costs and fewer flight options as jet fuel prices swing
2h ago

That means May was approaching a record for the food bank, and the rest of the summer doesn’t shape up to be much easier as people struggle with the pressures of inflation. On top of that, kids are home for the holidays and no longer getting daily meals at school, putting adding stress on families.

“We have a lot more folks coming into town,” Scruby said. “Plus a lot of the schools do regular feeding programs throughout the year and that puts additional pressure on the parents in the summertime. School’s not in. We also helped out with another school last year that had their own separate daily feeding program… so yeah, summer’s actually busier for us in terms of the hampers.”

Despite summer requiring more hampers, you won’t see a food drive organized by the food bank any time soon. Summer vacation plans can also make it hard to organize events and have enough volunteers to run them.

“That’s a pretty tough time around here with so many folks away from the weekends or out at the lake, or experiencing inflationary crunch themselves,” Scruby said. “We do get regular support. Grocery stores in Prince Albert are a big help and we’ve got a grant to buy fresh fruit.”

Scruby added people who grow vegetables in their gardens often provide them with help, but that kind of produce isn’t ready until later in the season.

—-

rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP

by Rob Mahon

What's Trending

An option closer to home
Sturgeon Lake First Nation looking to secure long-term funding for new Birthing and Childrearing Lodge
7m ago
CKOM Staff
Former Saskatchewan Lieutenant Governor Vaughn Solomon Schofield dies at age 82
1h ago
Increasing costs
Travelers face higher costs and fewer flight options as jet fuel prices swing
2h ago
Banned items
$138,000 in banned items seized at Sask. Pen.
2h ago
Policing
JSCN and Sask. Marshalls sign new safety agreement
2h ago