The Moose Jaw & District Food Bank is cutting back its services, and is appealing to the public for donations to keep its doors open.Jason Moore, executive director of the food bank, said the number of those using emergency services there has doubled in the past two years, but donations have not kept pace.“With usage climbing to rates never-before-seen in our history, and the rates of corporate and private donations rapidly decreasing, we have made the difficult decision to reduce the access households have to our services,” Moore said in a press release.“This has been devastating to us as a team and is being used as a last-ditch effort to avoid closing our doors entirely.”In a press conference with reporters, Moore said the food bank will transition from a hamper model to a shopping model. He said the change will give clients more dignity and reduce food waste.“Just yesterday, we received a call from a new client who recently lost their job and began accessing the food bank to keep their head above water. With the news that we'll be reducing our monthly offerings from two hampers to one,” Moore said.“They were scared and rightfully so. Where will they be able to get groceries while they're looking for work? This story is not unique.”The food bank does not receive government funding and lacks access to stable core-funding. They rely solely on grants and the kindness of the community. Nationwide, government grants have not kept up with per-person demand amidst high inflation.“The Food Bank, just like our citizens, cannot out-budget an affordability crisis. Daily, we see how hard things have become for our clients, our volunteers, and our staff. Financial donations are urgently needed to avoid closing our doors,” Moore said.“We've received an increase of donations about 25% annually. But in order to keep up and to sustain us, for the next three months, at least, until our next big food drive, we need to raise about $150,000.”Seven hundred of the clients are children and amount to 40 percent of the total. Opposition critic for community-based organizations, Meara Conway was present for the media event. The Regina MLA said the province should step up with structural changes such as more social system supports.“I have no doubt that the people of Moose Jaw, the business community, those people that have supported Moose Jaw over the years will answer the call as they have always. But I think what is so important is that we see some action at the provincial government level,” she said.“I think that we can all agree that a laudable goal of any government would be to, in a rich province and a rich country like ours, to eradicate food insecurity. There is no good reason that working people, that seniors on fixed incomes, that children are going hungry, again, in a province like Saskatchewan.”Conway also called for an increase in Saskatchewan’s minimum wage. It will rise to $15 on October 1, four weeks before the provincial election.
