Although inflation has inched down somewhat from its post-pandemic high, Manitobans are still finding life unaffordable in a number of areas including housing costs and continuing high prices at the grocery store.
Evergreen Basic Needs in Gimli is once again rising to the food-security challenge by launching its annual Christmas food hamper and new toy drive.
The need for a Christmas hamper has increased this year by about 10 per cent, said EBN executive director Karen Bowman.
“We expect to make 230 hampers this year. We had 212 last year. There has been a 10 per cent increase in demand,” she said. “And we analyzed the cost of the food we put in the hampers – we purchase everything that goes into them – and it’s down only .05 per cent, so it really hasn’t changed at all. It’s just under $200 per hamper for all the food items.”
With an expected demand for 230 hampers this year, EBN is looking to raise around $46,000.
EBN prepared 212 Christmas food hampers last year. This year the food bank is expecting that to rise to 230 hampers
EBN serves low-income individuals and families in the RM of Gimli, Town of Winnipeg Beach, the Village of Dunnottar and parts of the RM of Armstrong in the Fraserwood area.
Bowman said there are many reasons people turn to food banks for help. But the rising cost of housing, food, gasoline and other products has resulted in an unprecedented demand across the country for food assistance.
“In the larger cities, food bank need is more apparent to the public, but here in our catchment area we have seen an increase again over last year – and last year was a record-breaking year. The numbers [of people needing help] are still going up, but not as quickly,” said Bowman. “We’re finding that many of our clients who were coming to us five or 10 years ago are coming back. That was a trend that started last year. We also have a lot of newcomers to our community. They don’t have a lot so they have to rely on us. We’re seeing an increase in that population using our services.”
In addition to monetary donations, people are welcome to donate a non-perishable food item that the food bank can use for regular hamper requests in first quarter of the new year when donations typically drop off.
“If people do donate non-perishable food items, what that does is stock our shelves for January. Traditionally, food donations, or any kind of donation, drop off in January,” said Bowman. “This will help us make it through the January-to-March period, which is traditionally a leaner time for donations.”
EBN is also in need of new, unwrapped toys that people can drop off at several locations around Gimli and one in Winnipeg Beach. EBN organizes a free toy-shopping day for its food bank clients a few weeks before Christmas.
“Toy shopping day is when all the new, unwrapped toys people have donated to us get put on to tables and our clients get to come in and choose a toy for their children. This gives the clients more personal control and a more normalized experience when they can pick out gifts for their children. It’s one of our favourite days,” said Bowman.
People needing a Christmas hamper should call EBN by Dec. 4 so that the food bank can order the correct amount of food, said Bowman. However, calls after Dec. 4 can likely be accommodated.
EBN will deliver Christmas hampers to clients on Tuesday, Dec. 10 between 10 am – 3 pm. Clients can pick up Christmas hampers on Thursday, Dec. 12 between 10 am – 4 pm. And the free toy shopping day will be held on Saturday, Dec. 14 between 9 am – 4 pm
Other community members are stepping up to help EBN reach its target for toys.
Friends/family of Janice Smith are holding a toy drive for EBN until Nov. 30, with drop-off locations at the Gimli Legion, Access Credit Union, and 4L Communications. Adam. T. Elvis is organizing his annual Rockin’ Elvis Christmas Toy Drive at EBN on Sunday, Dec. 1 from 1-2 p.m. Admission is a new, unwrapped toy. And the Gimli Red Apple store is holding a Fill the Sleigh Day on Dec. 7.
Those are some of the fundraisers Bowman knows about.
“What we find every year is that people hold fundraisers for us and don’t tell us until they show up at our door with buckets of food or boxes of toys, which is wonderful and absolutely awesome,” she said.
Bowman said if the Canada Post strike carries on at length, EBN’s monetary fundraising efforts could be impacted.
“Our biggest problem this year is the postal strike because this is our critical fundraising period to cover the cost of our Christmas hampers. It will have a huge impact on us if it lasts too long. A lot of our donations come in through cheque in the mail,” she said.
But people can donate using other methods, Bowman said. There is a link on EBN’s website to Canada Helps.org. Or people can call her directly at EBN (204) 642-9736 to make a monetary donation by credit card or they can drop off a cheque to her at the store. Tax receipts can be issued.
People can drop off a new, unwrapped toy at the following locations in Gimli: Evergreen Basic Needs, Pharmasave, CIBC, Access Credit Union, Real Changes Fitness, Sugar Me Cookie Bakery, the Evergreen School Division office, Home Hardware, Red Apple, Faroex, Sigurbjorg Stefansson Early School, Dr. George Johnson Middle School and Gimli High School. Home Hardware is Winnipeg Beach also has a toy donation box. The boxes will be picked up on Dec. 12.
EBN is located at 71 Fourth Ave in Gimli. Visit EBN’s website at www.evergreenbasicneeds.com
