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Food bank getting a helping hand during a time of need

After hearing about the shortage that the Bonnyville Food Bank is experiencing, the community has pulled together to fill their shelves for those in need.
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Pauline Mawer, assistant executive director for the Bonnyville Friendship Centre, stands beside one of the near-empty shelves of the food bank.

After hearing about the shortage that the Bonnyville Food Bank is experiencing, the community has pulled together to fill their shelves for those in need.

One of the ways residents are giving back is through a dodgeball tournament, where all of the proceeds raised will go to the food bank.

As part of their community development class, students from Portage College in Cold Lake are organizing a Bonnyville Food Bank Dodgeball Tournament on Saturday, March 23 at the Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre.

Kyla Popyk, a member of the group, said they chose the local food bank due to the increase in demand it’s seen.

“Numbers keep going up, but are they getting the donations they need to keep up with that? It doesn’t seem like it, but it’s hard on everybody. The economy’s hard for everybody, people are making less, they’re working less, people are being laid off more, and people need that assistance from the food bank,” Popyk exclaimed.

In December 2018, the food bank served 279 clients, a jump of 49 since 2017. January saw a bit of a dip at 265, with 41 new clients registering for services. This was a increase from 2017, when they saw 217.

Within the first week of February, they registered nine new clients.

While food and monetary donations were high last Thanksgiving, the community’s need had food flying off the shelves.

“I thought (the food donations) would last me until the end of March, but it wasn’t even the end of January and my shelves were starting to become bare,” said assistant executive director for the Bonnyville Friendship Centre Pauline Mawer.

They may not be out of everything, but certain items are dangerously low. These include canned fruits and vegetables, beans, tuna, peanut butter, and boxed potatoes.

Since hearing about the depletion, the outpouring of support from the public has blown Mawer away.

“I love this community. I’ve lived in Bonnyville my whole life... The people in the community, when there’s a need, they come together and they bring businesses together,” she expressed. “It’s just amazing how giving people are. As much as people are needy, there’s more people who are willing to give and I just find that amazing.”

The group organizing the tournament wanted to give back to the community, and saw the food bank as the perfect place to put their focus.

“If it wasn’t for the community and how generous they are, they see a need and they can help. They can’t go by themselves, and go to this person on the street and give, but they can come and give it here, that person comes here and we can help them,” emphasized Mawer.

She noted a lot of people using the food bank never thought they’d need the service.

“Sometimes, people are too proud to ask for help and those are my hardest clients. When they come in, they say, ‘you know, I never thought I’d be in this position. I used to donate, but when it comes down to it do I pay my mortgage or feed my kids?’ You’ve got to swallow that pride, and do what you need to do to feed your family. That’s why we’re here, and I’m glad we’re here.”

While the outpouring of support has been great, Mawer believes the donations will only last them another month.

“The hampers that I fill will probably give them five meals... when you think about it, that’s not a whole lot. I just don’t know how people would survive if we weren’t here, there would probably be a lot more hungry kids,” she noted.

Anyone interested in finding out more or participating in the dodgeball tournament can email them at [email protected], or give them a call 780-202-0925.

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