Harvesting Hope food bank drive raises more than $170K

After a weekend full of fundraising, CBC's annual Harvesting Hope event raised more than $170,000 for Winnipeg Harvest.

Winnipeg Harvest has been helping put dinner on the tables of families in need for 30 years, but if the executive director had his way, there wouldn't be any need for the agency. 

David Northcott says there have been positive developments in tackling poverty in the city in recent decades, but one thing has remained stagnant.

"The stuff that just doesn't seem to want to change is the political will to really wrestle this issue at the core," said Northcott.

CBC Manitoba's annual Harvesting Hope holiday donation drive was held Friday, and donations were accepted until Sunday evening. All proceeds from the event go to the food bank.

By the end of the weekend, $172,903 in donations had rolled in.

• Donate to CBC Manitoba's Harvesting Hope

Northcott said the various federal and provincial governments have failed to seriously address the underlying causes of poverty in Winnipeg, which left families in 2016 struggling with some of the same issues as in 1986, when the agency first got started.

Those who rely on Winnipeg Harvest consistently say the major thing holding them back is a lack of adequate family income, Northcott said.

One of the strong points of Winnipeg Harvest is that it works with and listens to families that are struggling to get by, Northcott said, rather than leaving them out of the poverty relief process.

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"That's the challenge that government can never [take on]. It's just not designed to do that. Groups like Harvest are, so that's our victory."

Winnipeg Harvest staff train people who use the food back, who in turn give back to the agency through volunteer work.

Youth and seniors most at risk

Northcott said two of the most at-risk groups the agency serves are youth and seniors.

"We're very concerned about those two populations," he said.

"The problem is kids and seniors, you just don't see them on the streets, they're just not that visible, so people have a tendency to say, 'They're not really at risk.' But they are. They're hidden heroes."

Northcott sees the revived conversation about guaranteed basic income as a positive sign and hopes it becomes a reality. Such a program would help put money into the pockets of the people who need it most.

The Manitoba Liberals and the Green Party both vowed to bring in guaranteed annual incomes during the 2016 provincial election campaign.

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