Bonnyville Food Bank served over 350 clients in January: “It is so busy.”

The Bonnyville Food Bank is hurting right now.

Pauline Mawer, Assistant Executive Director at the Bonnyville Native Friendship Centre, said that January was a busy month for the food bank and they are struggling to keep up with the demand.

“It is so busy,” said Mawer.

“There is. We served in January over 300 people. 358 to be exact. 100 of them were new…whatever donations we got before Christmas and after Christmas is basically gone.”

The food bank is looking for a variety of items to help fill the shelves which is listed at the bottom.

They recently got $2000 worth of groceries, but Mawer said it still doesn’t cover half of what they need.

She thinks the continued downward spiral in the economy is showing with their client numbers.

“Job losses are the big thing. I have seniors which is ongoing. I have single parents who just can’t make it with what they’ve got. I’ve got AISH clients. That’s just not enough with the cost of living in Bonneville, it’s just outrageous. And with more government cuts coming they’ll be more job losses, which means I’ll have more clients.

“It takes them a long time for them to come in. You know, it’ll be two or three months before they get up the nerve to come and you can tell they don’t want to be here.

“These are people who used to donate. These are people who used to have the big oilfield job and the toys. That’s the reason. No jobs, high cost of living.”

Here is the list of items the food bank needs.

• • Hamburger & Tuna Helper
  • “Sidekicks”
  • Canned ready to eat pasta
  • Cookies and Crackers
  • Boxed Potatoes
  • Coffee and Tea
  • Juice Boxes/Juice Cartons
  • Peanut-free Granola Bars
  • Canned Vegetables
  • Canned Fruit & Fruit Cups
  • Pasta
  • Brown Beans
  • Canned Meat, such as Chicken, Ham, Tuna and Turkey, Salmon
  • Small bags of Flour
  • Chick Peas, Lentils, Black Beans and Kidney Beans
  • Toilet Paper
  • Condiments
  • Pancake Syrup
  • Canned Tomatoes/Pasta Sauce
  • Boxed soup
  • Sugar
  • Peanut Butter and Jam
  • Stove Top Stuffing
  • Rice
  • Shelf life milk/Canned Milk
  • Personal Hygiene Products
  • Canned ready to eat Soup
  • Pancake mix
  • Fresh Potatoes/Carrots
  • Diapers sizes 3, 4, 5 and 6
  • Diabetic-friendly food