Inuvik - In the four years the food bank has been open, it's depended on community involvement.

Now, a week after its annual general meeting, the new board chair would like the food bank to come back in 2008 stronger than ever.

Alexa Pitoulis is the new chair of the Inuvik Food Bank board of directors. The food bank is in need of funding and community support for the new year. The food bank will be closed Dec. 19 and 26 as there aren't volunteers able to cover the holiday season. - Dez Loreen/NNSL photo

Alexa Pitoulis was chosen as chair of the board during the AGM on Dec. 2.

She has also been involved with the food bank for the last year, serving on the board and volunteering to bag food items.

The operation of the food bank is now restricted to Wednesday nights only, for two hours.

However the food bank will be closed for a few days this month, on Dec. 19 and 26, due to lack of volunteers.

Clients of the program are only allowed a bag of food every two weeks.

Pitoulis said the program serves about 500 people.

Each bag is full of basic items.

"We try to have a few cans of vegetables, fruit and some pasta," she said.

"We also want some sort of protein as well, like beans."

Recently, the bank got a donation of milk, which is ultra-pasteurized and can be stored for long periods of time.

"We don't have a lot of resources right now, so the bags are a bit skimpy," she said.

"We are trying to provide a healthy alternative for at least a few meals in each bag."

Pitoulis said the community should be involved to provide emergency food assistance to those who need it.

"We have a lot of large families with a lot of children," she said.

"For whatever reason, a family might find themselves in a position that they need some extra food to get them to the next paycheque."

Pitoulis said there are six members on the board and about 10 people that volunteer their time to help stock shelves.

"We could use a few more people to sit on the board and volunteers are always welcome," she said.

Last holiday season, Pitoulis said the food bank gave out an average of 70 bags every week.

"That number has gone down," she said. "For some reason we had a spike in usage last year. Fall time is always busy, with road closings and other factors."

Alana Mero is a member of the Interagency Committee, which works closely with the food bank.

Mero said the food bank was originally started by the committee.

"We noticed a food shortage in town," said Mero.

"As a community, we need to eat, so we formed the food bank."

Mero said that when the food bank started, there was a lot of activity from community members, which has dwindled over the years.

"As with most projects, it had a lot of initial support," said Mero.

"As time went on, people moved from town and got involved in other programs."

She said operating the program is challenging because there isn't enough money to hire a worker.

"It's very difficult to operate with volunteers alone," she said.

Right now, Mero would like to see the shelves of the bank full of food to be distributed.

"The shelves are bare and Christmas is approaching," she said.

"We need help so the food bank can stay open."

Doug Robertson is another former board member. He was on the committee when the food bank started.

He remembers the food bank having longer hours when it first started, but to make the program more efficient, the hours needed to be cut back.

"We began operating five days a week, with four hours each day," explained Robertson.

"There was really no need to be open as much as we were. I think it's running much more efficiently now."