Community Ministry
Harvest Manitoba Update
Recently I had the opportunity to participate in the annual Harvest Manitoba Community Food Network Townhall meeting, and learned more about the fine work that Harvest does both in Winnipeg and across the province. Here are some snapshots of food bank use in our province that you might find interesting:
· Food bank use has increased by 145% in Manitoba since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic! In Winnipeg, food bank usage has doubled since 2019. Food banks across the country report similar increases.
· In March 2023, displaced Ukrainians made up 55% of all new food bank clients in Manitoba. In 2023 almost 2/3 of new food bank clients are newcomers to Canada. This is representative of what we are experiencing at Bethel.
· Fifty percent more food bank users are employed now compared to last year, suggesting a growing gap between cost of living and income.
Bethel has responded to the increasing need for support from food banks, by increasing our capacity from 60 households per month in 2019, to 144 households per month to date—and we will continue to assess our ability to add to our client list, in response to increasing demand. A recent grant from Mennonite Disaster Service allowed us to purchase additional equipment to support this increased capacity.
Thank you to our wonderful volunteers who make operating Bethel’s food bank possible, even throughout the upcoming summer months! Currently, more than 22 dedicated volunteers from the congregation and our neighbourhood, support this work by unloading the truck which delivers three pallets of food every two weeks, greeting clients as they arrive, helping with registration, handing out food, serving coffee, and more.
Your practical support—dropping off non-perishable food donations in the yellow bin in the foyer, donating cookies to serve to our clients, unloading the truck or distributing food on Mondays—is making a practical difference for families in our community, and we thank you!
- Kathy McCamis
