Richard Froese
South Peace News
Big Lakes County hamlet residents struggling to put food on the table will soon have another source to access.
Big Lakes Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the 2021 Second Harvest Emergency Food Security Fund, says a news release from Big Lakes.
The grant strengthens food security in communities and provides nutritious food.
FCSS manager Nicole Hanna welcomes the funding that will be used to create community food cupboards in the hamlets of Enilda, Grouard, Joussard, Faust and Kinuso.
Non-perishable food will be stocked in the cupboards and available for anyone who needs it.
“With the COVID-19 pandemic, we know that acquiring nutritious food has been a challenge, especially in northern communities like our own where local access can be difficult,” Hanna says.
Specific locations of the community food cupboards in each hamlet will be determined in the coming weeks.
Food may be donated at the locations when they open.
Second Harvest CEO Lori Nikkel says the funds fill the growing needs of Canadians and communities even as COVID continues to affect citizens and families.
“The pandemic has placed a heavy burden on the thousands of small non-profits across Canada trying to provide healthy food for people struggling with hunger in their communities,” Nikkel says.
“We are not out of the woods yet and we need to keep these organizations well resourced so they can provide hope and stability to anyone who needs it.”
Second Harvest is made possible by the Government of Canada’s Emergency Food Security Fund which was launched in April 2020 to support six national food organizations including Second Harvest, to improve access to food for Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since it was launched in the opening months of the pandemic, the Emergency Food Security Fund has supported more than 5,000 local food initiatives across Canada.