The provincial government has given $90,000 to the Fort Saskatchewan Food Bank.
Back in November, Alberta announced that $20 million would be provided to food banks across the province over the course of two years. In total, $90,000 of these funds went to the local food bank.
“Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville food banks are supported by local businesses, faith-based organizations, and private donors," said Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk, MLA of Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville. "These organizations provide donations of both food and money, which help to keep the food banks running and able to serve their clients.”
The funding was provided through three grant streams: the Food Bank Grant, the Food Security Grant, and the Donation Matching Grant. In December, the food bank received $40,000 through the Food Security Grant, and after proving their matching funds, the food bank was given another $50,000 in April.
"The nice part about this is that it was unexpected," said Kassandra Gartner, executive director of the food bank. "Food banks do not receive any core funding from the provincial government, or any government level, for that matter."
Gartner ensured that the money would go towards accessible food distribution, which means food purchases, supplies, and staffing costs.
However, Gartner added that while the $50,000 will help, they are still in need of further support.
"The $50,000 received for this year kind of supplements our budget, unfortunately, it does not make up the bulk of our budget."
These funds are part of the province's Affordability Action Plan, which takes action to cut costs and deliver relief to help families and businesses in Alberta.