THUNDER BAY - Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, issues of food security became much more prevalent, with store shelves emptying and job loses making it more difficult for people to make ends meet.
In an effort to ensure everyone has access to food during these difficult times, the federal government turned to community organizations who have the best knowledge in food delivery and access and it continues to invest in local food security initiatives.
Community organizations continue to make use of federal funding to ensure that no one goes hungry.
On Wednesday, Minister of Health Patty Hajdu highlighted some of the work being done by five community organizations who benefited from a $179,000 investment last spring through the Local Food Infrastructure Fund and the Emergency Fund for Food Security.
Hajdu said early on in the pandemic it was clear there was going to be economic disruptions and the federal government moved to support local food organizations.
“The best way to do that is to empower community based organizations that already know how to delivery food in a quick way and who had good ideas on how to pivot and how to deliver their services,” she said.
The five local organizations that received funding include Roots to Harvest, the Salvation Army, Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek, the Boys and Girls Club, and Red Rock Indian Band
The Emergency Fund for Food Security was launched last April by the federal government and offered $100 million for local food organizations to respond to the pandemic.
“This was really rapid money to the community to ensure those programs would not be interrupted or they could shift quickly to address a growing need and in some cases a different way entirely in how to distribute food,” Hajdu said.
“We believe that by investing in this way and protecting people from really bad outcomes related to poverty, job loss, changes in their life as a result of coronavirus that we actually will protect the economy in the long run and protect people in the long-run. We want healthy communities at the end of this.”
Roots to Harvest used funding from the Local Food Infrastructure Fund and the Emergency Fund for Food Security to begin the first phase of a backyard cooking area and for its emergency food boxes.
Erin Beagle, executive director at Roots to Harvest, said the beginning of the pandemic was a really scary time, with many people experience stress and anxiety after not being able to stock up on food supplies.
“People are often a pay cheque away from the poverty line,” she said.
“We saw people that came and got food from us that had mortgages, they are homeowners, car owners, they have cell phones, their kids are in activities. The stress that happened from job loss or lost days was so significant, that anything that helped relieve some of that, those food packages made a real difference for them.”
But even with local food organizations pivoting to new ways of offering food security, such as the Boys and Girls Club shifting from a breakfast program to a bagged-lunch program, Beagle says there are still many challenges ahead, especially with the winter season just around the corner.
Beagle said it will be difficult to have people wait outside in freezing temperatures for food pickups this upcoming winter.
“I think as northern communities we are going to have to be really innovative about how we approach that and how we allow people to come indoors,” she said. “I think that is the best overall way we can address some of those immediate needs while still being cautious and safe.”
There is still also a need to ensure people are safe and cared for, which can be difficult without that face-to-face interaction.
“There are these impacts with not being able to be face to face with people,” Beagel said. “We have to make sure there are other avenues to get that food that is still safe.”
There are also concerns about access to fruits and vegables, however, a community market is available every Tuesday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Limbrick Community Centre that offers fresh fruits and vegetables to anyone at or below cost.
