When Many Hands Resource Centre took over the foodbank in Morden in 2020, 35 families were registered to receive food items weekly.
Two and a half years ago, the number more than doubled to 80 families.
Today, there are 400 families (totalling 1000 people) registered with the food bank. About 120 regularly visit the food bank each week.
‘The food bank was not designed for this level of need’
For Many Hands, the growing number is crippling.
“The food bank was not designed for this level of need,” says Mariyam Tsygankova, executive director of Many Hands.
“We’re overloaded. We're cramped. We’re struggling to function in a space that can't handle the work we do. We’re definitely outgrowing [our] space.”
Tsygankova says the number of food bank users has increased by 20% since December last year.
A solution and another problem
The rising number of users may be daunting to the organization, but it has no plans of slowing down.
Recently, in Many Hands’ mission to find ways to provide for the community, it partnered with local grocery stores for a shrink program.
“Shrink” is the term given to food that is nearing its expiration date.
“It’s still good to use, but stores cannot sell it anymore, so we get this stuff from ... Walmart, Co-op, and Shoppers,” says Tsygankova. “We found ways to get more shrink from them, but now we are struggling with finding where we can store all this food.”
Tsygankova says that last year, Many Hands got “tons” of carrots, cauliflowers, leeks, and other produce, but because the bank had nowhere to store it, a large portion had to be thrown out.
“[It] potentially could have fed people through the winter, but we had to get rid of it because we had nowhere to store it,” she says. “We even tried storing this produce in our volunteers’ garages. It just wasn't sustainable.”
The loss of the produce was disheartening to the foodbank because it prevented people from having nutrient-filled produce in the winter — a time when the price of such a product rises considerably.
“We felt so disappointed. So frustrated,” says Tsygankova.
The next steps
After the disappointing situation with the fresh produce, Many Hands has identified a need that will prevent losses of the same nature in the future: a walk-in freezer.
The move seems necessary to the organization, but it also comes with its own challenges.
“The thing is, it costs about $40,000,” says Tsygankova. “In our budget, we don't have this amount [because] we are not a government-funded organization. We are supported by the community.”
Tsygankova says that Many Hands has applied for grants for the freezer, but the food bank hasn’t received any positive news yet.
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While it waits, the organization is turning to the community of Morden, which has a habit of rallying behind the food bank when it needs it most.
“If people can support those who can't afford food, we [would] be very appreciative,” says Tsygankova, noting that the food bank does its best to provide healthy options to the community.
“We really want to make sure that people are getting nutritious food, not just junk food like chips .... Each month, we purchase milk, we purchase eggs, and that's about $5,000 per month, but we think it's really something important to put into our hampers as well.”
‘People are struggling’
In the end, all of Many Hands’ efforts are to help community members with increasingly limited options.
Tysgankova says that in her experience, most people would prefer not to have to use the food bank, but they are appreciative, nonetheless. Especially those with children.
“People are struggling, food prices are rising, rent is rising, wages are just not keeping up. That's the reality,” she says. “We just want to help those people. They didn't choose to be down — life happens, and we are there when [they] need it.”
For Tsygankova, it’s “not just about the food.”
“It's about the community. It's about dignity. It's about hope,” she says.
To donate to Many Hands, click here. To help in another way, consider volunteering with Many Hands.
With files from Robyn Wiebe