Red River Co-op recently donated $2,000 to Evergreen Basic Needs (EBN) to support their delivery pilot program.
EBN executive director Karen Bowman applied for support from Red River Co-op’s Community Support Fund a while back. The Community Support Fund supports charities and non-profits within the communities Red River Co-op serves, the initiatives aligning with the company’s key focus areas of food security, environmental sustainability, inclusion, and sustainable livelihoods.
The food hamper delivery pilot program was launched this month after the organization saw the need for it. The organization offers two food hampers a month to local families in need, but Bowman said they noticed some people aren’t able to pick theirs up due to not having a vehicle, high gas prices, or a lack of support or time.
“So, we thought let’s see if we can help and reach more people on a more consistent basis to be able to access the food bank when things are so difficult for everybody, but especially those who fall below the radar,” she said.
Picking up hampers offers advantages to those in need. They can look at the giveaway table of extra things and talk with EBN employees about resources they may need. When receiving a delivery, people may receive extras, but they won’t get to choose what those extras are.
The delivery program quietly launched on April 3, and Bowman said they’ve delivered a couple of hampers since then. The pilot program will last three months, and at the end of June, EBN will decide whether to continue the program or focus on a new avenue. To ensure anonymity, all deliveries are made by EBN employees rather than volunteers.
Red River Co-op donated $2,000 to the program through gift cards. Alyssa Kost, Community Partnership & Event Coordinator for Red River Co-op, said they made the donation because EBN’s work aligns with the focus areas above.
“Specifically, their food bank Hamper delivery pilot project’s goal is to improve access to the food bank for community members who need it but do not have transportation and are unable to access it otherwise,” she said. “We were happy to make the donation of gift cards that can be used for fuel or food to help offset the cost of operating the hamper delivery service and support this important pilot project. The charity is also located in and serves Gimli, MB, which is one of the communities we serve with our food store and gas bar locations.”
Red River Co-op is hoping the pilot project is successful and the organization can continue to reach community members without transportation. Bowman said the donation will help greatly, especially with the rising cost of fuel, which they can pay for with the gift cards.
“If more hampers are needed, we’ll also have to purchase more food,” she said, adding that donations have dropped in the last two years because everyone is feeling the effects of inflation. Though they also receive Harvest Manitoba donations once a month, those, too, are from donations Harvest Manitoba receives, so it’s dependent on others as well.
Bowman said if the pilot project does extremely well and they notice an even bigger need for hamper deliveries, they’ll look at hiring more people to help. With public transportation in the region being so minimal and sparse, this is one of the only ways some people can receive their hamper.
