Summer food-hamper program helps hundreds of families living in Winnipeg School Division’s area

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This article was published 24/08/2023 (793 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Staff and volunteers from the Winnipeg School Division packed and organized more than 600 food hampers Thursday for people in their school communities who need help.

It was WSD’s second hamper effort of the summer, addressing food insecurity needs that disproportionately affect marginalized communities.

“We’ve been seeing such an increased need,” said Katherine Armstrong, the division’s community food co-ordinator.

“There are students coming to school hungry, not having enough food at home or not having lunches.”

The Summer Food Hamper Program started at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce the gap in assisting families outside the school year.

The province’s largest division includes schools located in Winnipeg’s core and in the North End.

The hampers support families who are struggling to keep up with the cost of inflation, in addition to living in “food deserts” where they are unable to access nutritional and affordable groceries, she said.

“A lot of families, especially our larger families, go through milk really quickly,” said Armstrong.

Families in need receive two large boxes — one filled with non-perishable items such as canned vegetables, soup, cereal, pasta, peanut butter and tinned fish. The second box contains fresh and frozen items such as milk, cheese, margarine, yogurt, meat, fresh vegetables and fruit.

WSD staff and students in Grades 11 and 12, who were hired as part of a work-experience program, packed and distributed the food hampers to more than 30 schools in the 79-facility division for families to pick up.

“The cost of food is just outrageous, even to run this program,” said Armstrong. “It’s difficult to do what we’ve done in previous years with the cost of food being what it is.”

Armstrong also helps to organize the food security program that supports more than 50 schools from September to June, providing boxes of potatoes, onions, loaves of bread, baked goods and more.

The inability to maintain secure housing and a guaranteed source of income is a driving factor for a lot of families facing food insecurity, she said, adding children need to be fed properly so they can focus on learning.

“We do what we can to make a difference… and while I hope the need goes away, the opportunity to get to know everyone and to strengthen our community relationships has been really rewarding,” said Armstrong.

Most of the student volunteers said it was their first time participating in community initiatives.

“I think it’s really thoughtful to be helping out families and I am really happy to be a part of this,” said Beth Teklezghi, an 18-year-old student who graduated from Sisler High School in June.

Teklezghi has previous volunteer experience in the community and is working to build up her resume before pursuing post-secondary studies.

“If anyone else has the opportunity like me to be involved with a program like this through the WSD, I would highly recommend it,” said Munro Coutu, an 18-year-old student completing post-graduate automotive studies at Winnipeg Technical-Vocational High School.

He said he’s enjoyed making new friendships within the program and working in a warehouse environment to organize and distribute the food to families.

Food for the summer hampers has been donated by the Schroeder Foundation, Maple Leaf Foods, Peak of the Market, Second Harvest, among others.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca