In the season of abundance, Many Hands Resource Centre is asking, “Why not share?”
As the Pembina Valley approaches harvest season, Many Hands, an organization that runs a food bank in Morden in addition to other services, is accepting donations of fruits and vegetables fresh from the garden.
“We do it every year because we know that sometimes people have produce surpluses and we want to encourage [the community] to consider donating to Many Hands,” said Mariyam Tsygankova, the executive director of the resource centre.
More than food
According to Tsygankova, the opportunity for those who access the services at Many Hands to find fresh fruits and vegetables in their hampers is something that creates enrichment in more ways than providing necessary nourishment.
Tsygankova said that she remembers one woman from Ukraine for whom beets and zucchini, vegetables that are ubiquitous in the country, were a precious sight.
“People miss their cultural food, and they are looking for ways to cook ... what they eat at home,” she said. “She was happy. I can’t forget her reaction.”
A recent upgrade
Thanks to a new walk-in freezer, Tsygankova said that Many Hands is especially prepared to receive produce donations this year.
It’s a piece of equipment that makes “a huge difference” in how the centre serves the community.
“We can distribute more food,” she said. “Unfortunately, ... we still have 100-120 families come in each week for the food hampers, [so it's] nice to provide something really nutritious, something fresh.”
100-200 meals a week
In addition to being used for food hampers, fresh vegetables also help the organization’s soup kitchen, which provides a nutritious free meal to community members on Wednesdays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Tsygankova said that with the community’s help, the soup kitchen distributes 100-200 meals a week.
Many Hands in the community
Beyond running the food bank and soup kitchen, Many Hands also has other programming that makes food more accessible.
The organization has recently partnered with Food Banks Canada and Harvest Manitoba for the After the Bell program, which provides snack kits to children over the summer months while they do not have access to meal programs at school.
Outside the doors of Many Hands, the organization also works with the City of Morden for community gardens, which not only provide residents the opportunity to grow their own fresh produce, but also a chance to become immersed in a community of growers.
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Tsygankova said that while the city takes care of tilling the community gardens, the centre does the administration and programming throughout the season.
It also hosts a harvest meal at the end of the growing season to celebrate.
The community gardens are very popular — this year, all the plots are taken.
“People love it,” said Tsygankova. “We are getting very good feedback about it.”
How to help
In the end, Many Hands relies on the community's support to run its programming. Donating fresh produce is one way to help.
The organization is open to receiving garden-grown items from anyone in the community who has them, whether one grows in the community garden or in a backyard.
Because food bank day is Wednesdays at the resource centre, Tsygankova suggests dropping off donations on Monday or Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or Wednesday morning.
For those who would like to help fight food insecurity in other ways, volunteer options are also available.
With files from Ty Hildebrand