EASTERN SHORE – Buoyed by nearly $68,000 in grants, food banks and aid societies in Guysborough County and along the Eastern shore are welcoming timely support from the provincial government’s Feeding Communities Fund last week.
But many warn that escalating prices at grocery stores and rising demand will keep the pressure on. And, without local volunteers and community donations, they say the fight against food insecurity would be overwhelming and, in some cases, impossible.
“It’s definitely a help, especially as we continue to see usage and costs go up,” said Derek Elsworth – minister of St. Mary’s Pastoral Charge at United Church of Canada in Sherbrooke – who oversees the St. Mary’s District Food Bank Association, about the $10,000 the organization received from the fund.
At the same time, he said, with job losses in the area expected to increase due to announced provincial funding cuts to Sherbrooke Village, demand will rise.
“Ten thousand dollars is significant … but the cost of everything is increasing so quickly, and there is no end in sight for that …The budget cuts are definitively going to affect our more vulnerable and will affect employment here and across our community as a whole.”
Records on the number of individuals and families relying on food banks and aid societies across Guysborough County and along the Eastern Shore are difficult to pin down. But recent interviews and reporting by The Journal suggest the number is well into the hundreds – and has been rising steadily in recent years.
The Feeding Communities Fund is directing $10,000 to each of the Guysborough and Area Food Bank Society, the Mulgrave and Area Medical Centre Committee – which operates the Mulgrave Food Pantry – the St. Mary’s District Food Bank Association, the Gerald Hardy Memorial Society Rainbow Foodbank in Sheet Harbour, and the Kids First Association for food programs in the region.
Additional funding includes $5,800 to the Guysborough County Home Support Agency for fresh produce boxes, $4,000 to the Sunnyville Community Association for a community food program, and $8,000 to the Upper Big Tracadie Seniors Action Club for community meals.
Elsworth said the St. Mary’s food bank is fortunate to be able to operate with minimal expenses. “We are blessed that way. Everything is done through the generosity of volunteers or donations … One hundred per cent of the money received goes directly towards buying food.”
Saying the same applies to her organization, Elaine Williams, who oversees the Guysborough and Area Food Bank, also noted the importance of volunteers and community donors, while acknowledging that the funding they received will help. “It’s a windfall for us… [However], it’s truly the volunteers – and the donors – who make this possible.”
She said the food bank serves about 380 people, or roughly 130 households, including clients from the Canso area, with 15 new clients added since Christmas.
“We have people who come here faithfully every week to help, and they are so incredibly appreciated.”
That same reliance on community support is playing elsewhere across the region.
Mary Desmond, Municipality of the District of Guysborough District 2 councillor and secretary of the Upper Big Tracadie Seniors Action Club, said the group will use its $8,000 grant to revive its community plate program, providing monthly nutritious meals for seniors in the area.
“The cost of living, the cost of food, the cost of transportation because of gas – the need is always increasing,” she said. “So, it’s pretty hard, especially for marginalized people with low incomes; any little bit we get that assists and can help is good.”
Still, she said, the funding is only a short-term solution.
“The pressure is always there to provide … it helps – but it never lines up with the demand … It’s a Band-Aid solution … We need to all sit down and see how we are going to deal with concrete solutions and food security.”
Tonya Steinborn, co-ordinator of the Gerald Hardy Memorial Society Rainbow Foodbank in Sheet Harbour, echoed concerns that, while the additional funding is both welcome and necessary, it will not keep pace with rising costs or demand.
“The funding is certainly a positive and much-needed step, and the organization is very grateful to see additional support being directed toward food security initiatives,” she said.
Nevertheless, she added, “The funding … does not fully offset the rising costs of food, transportation and overall operations, nor the growing number of individuals and families requiring support … Food insecurity is a complex, ongoing issue.”
