SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Some Yk Food Bank users have been selling the packages they receive from the charity, the board has discovered.

YK Food Bank President Grant Pryznyk is pictured at the food bank last year. A small number of recipients have been found to be selling the food they pick up from the food bank. - NNSL file photo

The packages – which each contain $25 to $30 in market value of food – are picked up every second Saturday at the food bank by anybody who needs them, according to Grant Pryznyk, the food bank's president.

“It's probably a few people who need the money more than they need the food (who sell their packages),” he said.

Pryznyk says the tips the board receives about such activities have been coming in for a long time, but not on a regular basis. He doesn't believe it to be a widespread problem.

“I think it's more than likely confined to a few people and we don't know who those people are. We've had reports of people selling it further down the street by (CIBC) and things like that,” he said.

He adds he doesn't know who is purchasing food from recipients.

“One time, there was a report of somebody buying the food and putting it in the back of their half-ton truck on the street. What that means, I don't know,” said Pryznyk.

“We would like to end the business of selling the food. We'd know that somebody's eating it after it's being sold, but we'd rather give it to the people who are actually coming in for it.”

He adds there is not much room for recourse.

“The only thing we can really do is urge people that if they need the food to come and get it, but don't abuse the food bank because it's there to help the people, the families, the adults and the kids,” he said.

“We can't do much more than that, I believe, because after they pick up the food, it's technically their food.”

Stricter policies

Although the Yk Food Bank allocates the amount of food given out based on family size, the food is distributed to all those who say they need it.

The city's other food bank – the Salvation Army – adheres to a stricter process for approval.

“We actually have a file on each family that we assist and we do not provide food hampers to the homeless population ... the main staples in our food hamper need to be cooked and if they're homeless, they really have nowhere to cook it,” said Stacey VanMetre, community services co-ordinator with the Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army also provides three meals a day, seven days a week, to those who need it, with lunch and supper open to the public and breakfast available for those staying in the organization's shelter.

The Salvation Army's food bank has not received complaints about food from its hampers being re-sold.

Underlying issues

Julie Green is the co-ordinator of of the No Place for Poverty Coalition, which has been in the NWT since 2009. She says it is important to have compassion for people in potentially difficult situations.

“From my point of view, it's really important not to jump to any conclusions about people who are selling food, but rather to look at it as a need that's not being met and it's not appropriate to judge people without knowing what their circumstances are,” said Green.

“It says to me that they, in some cases, may be facing a difficult choice between eating and paying their rent ... it may be a case where they're trying to raise money for other needs, whether that's rent or clothing or other essentials.”

She said it's time for the government to review income support rates and increase rates for food to ensure people's basic needs are being met.

She added there is also the possibility that people are “trying to amass money for their addictions.”

“It's very unfortunate, but it's also a reality that addicts will try to feed their addictions in whatever way they can. It leads to some unfortunate behaviours, such as potentially selling food, maybe theft from stores, from other people, maybe selling their bodies. The reality of somebody who has an addiction, they generally tend to behave in desperate ways to feed their addiction and services for addicts in the NWT are very limited,” she said.

Green pointed out that there is no systemic treatment for addictions in Yellowknife, adding that treatment only works when an addict wants it themselves.

Valuable work

As Pryznyk noted, Green agrees that those who abuse the food bank system are in the vast minority, and hopes the public does not respond negatively to the charity.

“I hope that people will continue to donate to the food bank ... and other food charities because the people who need it way, way outweigh the people who may be abusing it or not using it for it's intended purpose,” said Green.