Yukon Food Security Network launches online data hub

More than one million meals were served by Yukon organizations in 2024, according to the Yukon Food Security Network's new website.

The website, which launched on Thursday, has an information dashboard outlining food outreach services from five different Yukon organizations — including food banks and Whitehorse's emergency shelter.

It might be the first time this data has been compiled in one place, according to Michelle Watson, coordinator of the Yukon Food Security Network. She hopes that data tracking across organizations will show long-term trends. For example, when one meal provision organization halts service, another organization might then double its output.

The network is a non-profit representing the the Food Bank Society of the Yukon, the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition, the Yukon First Nation Education Directorate, United Way Yukon and Yukon Energy. 

Watson said she hopes the website will help more organizations connect to the network and co-ordinate on food security initiatives. The site includes a form to sign up for roundtable discussions and the network newsletter, as well as an interactive map highlighting existing enterprises across the territory.

Identifying service gaps outside of Whitehorse is one of the network's main priorities, according to Kristina Craig, executive director of the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition.

"Every single community has their own food system, their own food needs," Craig said. "It really is, hopefully, a recognition that the knowledge is sitting with the people who live and work across the territory."

Sharing information is the first step to filling those gaps, said Dave Blottner, executive director of the Food Bank Society.

He said the network's research has already found that food insecurity disproportionately affects rural communities because of higher freight costs and fewer local resources.

"The more remote you are, the more difficult it is to get food," Blottner said. "So when we're looking at those things, it's where to put our attention and where to put our energy."