The Moose Jaw & District Food Bank is doing it's best to continue providing its services to Moose Jaw amidst the province’s updated COVID-19 precautionary measures and the expected influx of clients.
As of now, the food bank remains open and is offering hampers to the public as usual, and staff are working hard to ensure that they are prepared for clients each day.
The food bank has implemented a change in safety measures to protect both its clients and volunteers and staff.
“These measures are also in place to ensure we can keep our doors open, especially at this critical time right now. So we just ask that everyone can be patient with us,” said Deann Little, development manager at the food bank.
Volunteers are still welcome to offer their help, although some have chosen to stay home for personal reasons, said Little.
Little is expecting to see a rise in need over the coming weeks, and so the food bank is doing it's best to be prepared for the increase in traffic.
“We have been extra busy, above our normal [amount of traffic] but we have been able to meet it so far with not a problem,” said Little. “The staff here are moving at double speed to get things done, sometimes coming in early and staying late just to ensure that we're ready always for the next day.”
They have even added an extra hamper pickup day on Wednesday for the foreseeable future, to help meet demand. The Moose Jaw & District Food Bank will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Monday to Friday beginning Mar. 18.
Little said that this week saw a drop in the number of items gathered from the food bank’s donations bins around the city — possibly due to more people avoiding public places like grocery stores — but for now, they are feeling well-stocked to handle what’s coming due to the record-breaking number of donations last year.
For right now, the most useful way to help the food bank in the coming weeks is to give monetary donations.
“At this point in time, it is vital that we do get the monetary donations coming in because then we can purchase what is needed the most at our food bank to help those in need right now,” said Little.
The food bank can accept monetary donations online through their website, which issues a charitable receipt, and encourages anyone with questions to reach out at 1 (306) 692-2911.
Updates about the Moose Jaw & District Food Bank and its services will be provided on their Facebook page, which is also where clients may message the organization if the phone line is busy.
