PANNIQTUUQ/PANGNIRTUNG
Tackling food insecurity is not as simple as handing out meals.

Volunteers help out at the Pirujat Pangnirtung Food Pantry. The pantry aims to tackle food insecurity with tasty recipes. - photo courtesy of Rose Desiree Ze Meka

That's the theory behind the Pirujat Pangnirtung Food Pantry, which for nearly a year now has embarked on a unique food-education initiative.

"We wanted to address food insecurity in the community," said Rose Desiree Ze Meka, who runs the pantry.

"We did not just want to hand out food and hand out any food."

Instead, the pantry focuses on putting together ingredient baskets for families to take home and prepare their own meals.

Twice a month, the pantry serves an average of 60 families. On March 8, food hampers came with chicken, broccoli or veggie mix, chicken stock, spices, fish and frozen berries. Pirujat also hands out flour, baking powder and other necessities for food preparation.

Ze Meka said she wants people trying different food and different ways of cooking it, learning they can prepare even better meals than what they might see pre-made in stores.

"The response has been really, really positive," she said. "People ask for it, 'Do you have a recipe, is there a recipe?' They are really happy. A lot of people would say, 'I tried the spices, I tried it with my fish or my chicken, it was really tasty.'"

The pantry even runs a regular contest on its Facebook page for people to submit pictures of what they've prepared with the hamper ingredients.

"The comment we hear from people at the pantry also is that they don't know how to cook," said Ze Meka. "For example, they have an apple but don't know how to make applesauce."

The emphasis on trying out recipes get people talking about food and ways to prepare it, and that's the path to tackling food insecurity, she said.

Pirujat has been in its current location since April 2015. Before, the pantry was inside the social services building in a space about the size of a closet.

"We weren't able to fulfill demand," said Ze Meka.

With its own building now, Pirujat also gets help from regular volunteers from the community, including high school students. But there's a lot to do in preparing the recipe-ready hampers and serving the community.

"We have a core of volunteers, but we are always looking and hoping for more people to get involved," said Ze Meka.