Whitecourt Food Bank news

Ever since COVID-19 made its way into the province, and measures were put in place to stop the spread, the Whitecourt Food Bank has been running operations differently. Tucked in a government building, they had to follow the strict guidelines in place. That meant that no one could enter the office anymore and that conversations had to happen through the main doors or over the phone. “As I was standing at the door, talking through the glass to someone, I thought to myself that it would be so much better if this were a walk-up window,” explained Lori Coffey, Whitecourt Food Bank Coordinator.

That thought persisted. “It just made sense. People could park in the parking lot, walk up and get their box, and then go. We were already operating like that, so why not keep going? It’s more efficient and fluid.” She said that the windows would be changed out right away and the process as it has been for the last couple of months will continue permanently. “This will make the food bank so much better.”

Anyone looking to pick up a hamper will have to call the office during open hours and do their intake over the phone. “There will be two pick up windows. One will be for intake pick-ups, and the other will be for perishable boxes.” Anyone who had visited the Carlan Services Community Resource Centre the last few months leading up to the COVID-19 shutdown would have seen various food items in the lobby. The perishable items were there as a “first come, first serve” option. Once things closed due to health concerns from the virus, Coffey had no way to get the items to the public.

“We decided to take the perishable items and put together boxes.” Rather than have people enter the lobby to pick through the offerings, Coffey posts on Facebook in the Whitecourt Community group and lets people know that she has perishable boxes available for pick up. “It is first-come, first-serve. I can’t hold a box for anyone.” One of the best parts about these new perishable boxes is that they do not count as one of the six yearly fills someone can have.

“You can come six times a year, and you get to pick how you use those six visits. It’s not just a monthly thing because sometimes, if you are waiting for EI to start, you might need three fills, like one every two weeks, and then we might not see you again. We are an emergency service and not a budgetary service. We help you over your hurdles,” explained Coffey. “The perishables are designed to stretch out your six fills so that you don’t have to come as often for those. It gives you more food this way.”

People might be surprised to learn that usage numbers at the food bank are down, but when you account for all the funding coming from the government, for those affected by the shutdown, it makes sense. Coffey said she is anxious about what she calls a “tsunami.” Her worries stem from those who are receiving funding and should not be or those who are not putting aside money to pay the taxes from the funding next year.

“I was doing some quick math the other day, and if you take every single payment, that’s eight thousand dollars. If you pay taxes on that, of up to say 35 percent, you are looking at roughly $2800 of taxes that you are going to owe, and I don’t think everyone is taking that into account. Most single parents, on average, get a tax return of $2500. Now you just lost your tax return that you were expecting and counting on having. And, what if you owe? Now you could maybe lose a couple of child tax payments. There will be a ripple effect for quite some time, and I know we are going to be needed in a big way.”

Most food banks experience their busiest month in January. Whitecourt and Fort McMurray, however, experience theirs in the summer. “Our biggest month is July or August. After three months of break-up, people are rolling in because they cannot afford to feed themselves. Break-up changes the demographic for us.” Her “tsunami” fear comes from looking at her numbers. “In August last year, we broke an all-time food bank record when we fed 206 people. We had only broken 200 once at that point. This January, I fed 211, which means that without COVID-19, I was already expecting to break 300 in August!”

Not only that, but the Whitecourt Food Bank also started the year $17,000 short in their budgetary needs. Coffey said she immediately began cutting programs to help sustain the food bank. Thankfully, they did receive a flood of donations, but those only ensured that they would continue to run under normal circumstances for the remainder of the year. “There’s nothing normal about COVID-19.”

Receiving regular perishables from Walmart has been tremendous. “If we did not have that, wow, I don’t know!” Even with numbers lower than average for the hamper boxes, the perishable boxes are heavily used. In one month alone, they gave out over 80 of them. “So many people are utilizing these boxes because they do not have to give identification. They just come, take a box, and go. They would not have taken a hamper from the food bank, but they will take a perishable box. It’s great in that sense,” explained Coffey.

“These are things that we would not have done if it weren’t for COVID-19. It made us look at things in a completely different light.” She said that being more efficient will help, especially if her fears are realized. “I wish that money would have been more structured. People on welfare or other government programs that took it are going to have to pay that back. It is not even about paying taxes, but it is literally about paying it all back. I am extremely concerned about the repercussions of improperly used funds.”

Call 780-778-2341 to learn more about how the Whitecourt Food Bank can help you. Follow the Whitecourt Community Facebook group and be extra vigilant of Coffey’s early afternoon posts about available boxes. The number varies on what she received that day, and she deletes her posts once they are collected. She encourages community members to continue supporting the food bank and thanks those who have donated and those that continue to help. “It means more than you know.”