Flagstaff Food Bank in good shape to weather lean times

Directors of the Flagstaff Food Bank heard from Treasurer Diane Gordon during the recent Annual General Meeting that due to the generosity of individuals and businesses in Flagstaff County, the loss of the Community Spirit Grant has not hit the organization as hard as originally anticipated.

Gordon said that both the Food Bank and the Flagstaff Christmas Sharing Program had such generous donations from the public that the loss of funding has not had the expected impact on the day to day operations of the Food Bank, nor the bottom line.

Part of the reason why is grant funds from the Battle River Community Foundation that were approved, for the amount usually received through the now-defunct Community Spirit Grant.

Gordon also said that besides the $2,300 in food donated by Wild Rose Co-op clients through their ‘Good Buy to Hunger’ initiative, another $2,300 was given in store credit.

Coordinator Wilma McLeod reported that Food Bank overall use was down from previous years, with fewer households given hampers during 2014.

She added that she expected figures to rise again if the economy takes the predicted downturn over the next few months.

Christmas Sharing donations were at an all time high, with the single highest increase since 2008.

“This is an incredibly generous county,” said McLeod.

McLeod also praised the hardworking volunteers at the Food Bank, saying that people from all over Flagstaff donate their time to this worthwhile cause, both for Christmas Sharing and all throughout the year.

The Food Bank received a letter seeking their support in the creation of a new breakfast program at Central High Sedgewick Public School, but made no decision on what type of support they could offer.

It was noted that if a family with school-aged children was receiving help from the Food Bank, it was their existing practice to ensure that lunchbox and portable, nutritious food was included for the students lunches and snacks already.

Directors voted to table any discussion with the school until more information could be found.

In 2014, the current building suffered minor damages to the west wall as a result of being lightly struck by a vehicle, but insurance covered the loss, and the repairs have been completed.

The melting snow created a bit of a water problem for the Food Bank, but items are routinely stored off the floor, and nothing was damaged when a little bit of water came through the front door into the building.

Leslie Cholowsky
Editor