Food bank 'a blessing' for injured Winnipeg woman
CBC News | Posted: November 17, 2015 1:57 PM | Last Updated: November 17, 2015
63,791 people, including Winnipeg's Lanna Diamond, rely on food banks in Manitoba: report
Lanna Diamond, 50, never imagined she would one day rely on the food bank where she volunteered. She, along with thousands of other Manitobans, uses a food bank to make ends meet.
A new HungerCount report by Food Banks Canada suggests more people in the province are using food banks than last year.
The network of provincial associations, food banks and food agencies found that 63,791 people in Manitoba used a food bank in March 2015, up 3.4 per cent compared to March 2014. That's more than the national average, which increased 1.3 per cent.
Diamond's reliance on food banks began after a severe car accident in 2011 caused injuries to her neck and forced her to undergo surgery. A long recovery time led Diamond to quit her job as an addictions counsellor and go on disability benefits.
Soon after, she began to use services at Winnipeg Harvest to make ends meet. It was the same food bank she had volunteered at for more than 20 years.
"It came as quite a shock to myself in the beginning, but now that I've crossed the barrier of accepting my situation … I'm feeling a lot better about myself," she said.
Diamond's story is echoed across the country; individuals and families turn to food banks because government assistance is not high enough to cover living and food expenses, the report says.
"Manitoba doesn't look good," said David Northcott, executive director of Winnipeg Harvest. "Second largest jump since 2008. The number 1 jump was Alberta, but number 2 was Manitoba."
Alberta was an outlier in the 2015 HungerCount report — food bank use in that province increased 23.4 per cent.
Looking at the overall trend of food bank use in the Manitoba, 57.6 per cent more Manitobans are using food security agencies than in 2008. Nearly 42 per cent of Manitoba food bank users are children, the report said.
"When food bank activity is going up or down, this is an instant measure of the value of the economy and how family incomes are doing, because basically, it's about family income," Northcott said.
"If people have enough money, they're not going to use the food bank; if they don't, they're going to use the food bank."
Reducing Manitoba's reliance on food banks
Food Banks Canada makes four recommendations they say will help alleviate need for food banks:
- create a basic income to replace provincial social assistance programs;
- increase the availability of affordable housing;
- reinstate and enhance employment and training supports for Canadians with low literacy levels; and
- increase food security and reduce hunger in northern communities.
Northcott agrees with Food Banks Canada: a basic income for all Canadians is a solution that could reduce reliance on food banks.
"The food bank numbers in Winnipeg and in Manitoba and Canada are telling Canadians that we can't repeat what we've done for 30 years. We need to be able to look at this differently, and one of the ways looking at it differently is now is the time to look at a basic income," he said.
The 2015 HungerCount report used information gathered from 45 food banks, two meal programs and seven organizations that provide food bank and meal services in Manitoba.
Food bank: more than free groceries
Winnipeg Harvest provides Diamond with basic necessities, including food such as bread and vegetables every two weeks. She also volunteers about four times a month to give back, she said.
"[Winnipeg Harvest] has given me the opportunity to not push my body or myself. It's been wonderful," said Diamond.
Winnipeg Harvest does more than just provide food and personal toiletries, she said; it's been "a blessing" to her during her recovery.
"There's so much support for those that need it — emotionally, mentally — just because there is such a strong sense of community spirit here and because people understand what others are going through."
Winnipeg Harvest's most-wanted food donations:
- Canned fish and poultry (tuna, salmon, chicken or turkey)
- Canned fruit and vegetables (packed in own juice)
- Canned stew, chili, brown beans
- Peanut butter
- Baby food (chicken, beef, vegetables or fruit, infant cereal such as oatmeal, barley or rice, formula with added iron)
- Whole grain pasta
- Rice (brown, converted or parboiled)
- Canned spaghetti sauce or canned tomatoes
- Cereal (high fibre, non-sugar coated)
- Canned soup (lentil, pea or vegetable)