The Estevan Salvation Army has continued to see a growing demand for its services.
In an interview with the Mercury, Ronza Reynard, the manager of the Salvation Army’s Family Services program, said the food bank’s usage is well ahead of last year’s pace. More than 500 individuals have accessed the food bank in the first six months of the year.
Approximately 380-400 people had used the food bank in the first six months of last year.
“I know some of the businesses are picking up, but there are still a lot of people out there who can’t secure themselves some full-time work, so just trying to make all the ends meet has just been difficult,” said Reynard.
She estimates 17 new families have accessed the food bank so far this year.
“That’s a high number of new people accessing the food bank. That’s something you would normally see in a year, not in six months,” Reynard said.
Close to $41,000 in food and material assistance has been distributed so far in 2017, she said. The material assistance includes merchandise from the Thrift Store.
Reynard is surprised the demand for the food bank is up, because the price of oil has been on the rebound and some people have been able to return to work. But the Salvation Army has been prepared for the increased activity.
The shelves at the food bank aren’t full, but Reynard believes they’re still in good shape following the Canada Post food drive in June. The food drive was moved from the fall to June this year to help the food bank before the summer months, and because the timing was better for the schedules for the volunteers with Canada Post.
It collected about a tonne of food.
Reynard hopes the Salvation Army will have enough food to get through the summer months. Pancake mix, maple syrup, coffees, teas, canned beans and soup are among the items they need.
“People still need to access the food bank, and we’re still here to help,” she said. “They just need to call and set up an appointment, and we can help them out.”
The Salvation Army’s annual Back to School Backpack Program will start up again in a few weeks. In the past, Staples was their partner, but since that business closed last year, the Salvation Army has been handling it on their own.
People can apply to receive a backpack filled with school supplies from Aug. 1-10, and the backpacks will be handed out in the third week of August.
“You’re going to have some loose leaf paper, pencils, pens … and a couple of erasers,” Reynard said. “It’s everything somebody is going to need for their students to go back to school, it’s just going to be able to help them, to give them a start so there are a few less things that they need.”
Supplies in the backpack will be donated by the community and purchased by the Salvation Army.
