Christine Kay
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Oct 14/02) - The shelves at the Nunavut Food Bank remain nearly empty on the Thanksgiving holiday.

"It's going to be average this year. We won't have turkeys to give out on Thanksgiving (today) but we will have some food," said food bank treasurer, Natalie Plato.

The food bank feeds an average of about 250 people per week. Its mandate is to provide food, and when possible nutritious food, to people throughout Nunavut. However, Plato said the organization will not be able to do this until it can do more than just scrape by in Iqaluit. The main items needed are fruit, vegetables and proteins. The food bank has plenty of flour, sugar and powdered milk.

"It's always a concern for us. We're always screaming for cash or food," said Plato.

In fact, the majority of the donations are made in the form of cash. Plato said this is one way in which this food bank differs from those down south. The Nunavut Food Bank buys most of its own food. Some stores in the capital have given the food bank discounts, but the cost is still high.

"We try to cover the bases of the food guide in terms of what we distribute but sometimes we just can't," said Plato.

The Nunavut Food Bank is located at the Dome or the youth centre across the street from Northmart. Food is given out every Saturday.

Anyone who comes in is asked to fill out a form with their name, the number of people they are feeding and their ages. Plato said this just helps the volunteers figure out what each person needs.

"It's an honour system basically. If someone shows up at the food bank, they are entitled to food."

Plato said she hopes Christmas will be better for donations than Thanksgiving.