The Lac La Ronge Food Bank has reopened after having to close its doors in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The organization won’t be operating in the same way as before as its building doesn’t allow for separate entry and exit doors, and is too small to accommodate clients while physical distancing.
Instead of having clients come into the food bank to pick up hampers, they will be able to call the organization on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The food hampers will then be delivered to homes by volunteers Tuesdays from 2-4 p.m.
A single hamper feeds a household and the food bank is limiting the number of hampers filled to 50 per week.
Trudy Connor, chair of the food bank’s governing board, said the organization decided to reopen after seeing the urgent need for service.
“I think families are becoming more and more in need of food hampers and that’s what we hear as we talk to different folks,” she said. “It’s kind of like ‘okay, the sooner the better that the food bank opens.’”
Because of this need, Connor said they simply couldn’t wait for all existing COVID-19 restrictions to be lifted before reopening.
“We’re not really likely to be out of COVID times for another year, another year and a half; so, that was too long. There’s need. So, we thought well, maybe this is our compromise.”
She said the food bank wants community members to know it’s not necessary to be an existing client to access services now.
Connor added she believes more people need access to the food bank because of the pressure the COVID-19 pandemic has put on businesses and their employees.
“You don’t have to be a former food bank client to use the food bank. I think, probably, there’s a whole bunch of folks struggling that have never been maybe short of food and short of money before as businesses have been affected and people being laid-off, and a whole variety of reasons.”
The food bank will deliver hampers to all households in the tri-communities area as well as in Sucker River.
Connor said if people want to help the food bank, they will be looking for volunteers in the coming weeks.
The organization can be emailed at laclarongefoodbank@gmail.com for more information on how to get involved.
(PHOTO: Courtesy Lac La Ronge Food Bank Facebook page.)