The holiday season is approaching, winter is getting more serious, and many struggling Manitobans are trying to have good wintertime. Harvest Manitoba has reported that the number of Manitobans with food insecurity has grown recently.
According to the data collected by Harvest Manitoba, food bank usage has doubled since 2019. “It’s just one snapshot of the real-world impact of food insecurity and poverty in our province. We’ve found that 24 percent of our clients are employed. The report also has several eye-opening personal stories that should inspire us to work for a future where no Manitoban goes hungry,” commented Harvest Manitoba.
This food insecurity problem, or generally Manitobans needing help, became more evident after the Christmas Cheer Board got overwhelmed with more than forty-thousand calls happening on their opening day for the 2022 campaign. “Last year, our first day was 23,000, so it’s a significant increase over last year for sure. There seems to be a real desperate need for food out there,” said Shawna Bell, Executive Director of the Christmas Cheering Board. Shawna Bell said that the number of calls has almost doubled, which is quite an impressive jump.
These numbers and all that statistical data show that Manitobans need help. Many things are happening in Manitoba to help fill this hole and improve the quality of life for many Manitobans. Different places all over Manitoba are there to help Manitobans get through their problems or food insecurity. A Holiday Food Bank fundraiser has started in many grocery stores, like, Sobeys, FreshCo, Safeway, and ThriftyFoods, to try and help all the Manitobans in need to have a better holiday and winter.
Many other partnerships are happening with Harvest Manitoba to increase help for specific areas in Manitoba; for example, Harvest Manitoba started a partnership with the Nutrition North Canada Program to help the Northern First Nation Communities in Island Lake Region with the food insecurity problem. The Director of network and advocacy for Harvest Manitoba, Meaghan Erbus, said “We began this journey many years ago. We’d been sending food up north to remote rural locations for some time. But not consistently, it was intermittently, and now we’re able to do it more frequently. (With) this partnership with nutrition north as well as the Island Lake Council and others, we’re able to do that now in partnership with the community and understanding the unique needs.”
Manitobans that can help should support other Manitobans in need by providing food to the open Holiday Food Banks in the different grocery stores and donating a manageable amount of money to help other Manitobans get through their harsh times.
Sources:
– Halla Alhamed, U Multicultural
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of U Multicultural.
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