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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
It may have taken a few years, but people now have further incentive to support the YK Food Bank after the organization recently announced it now has regained its charitable status with the Canada Revenue Agency.

YK Food Bank president Grant Pryznyk says people can now get an income tax receipt for donating food items. The organization recently regained its charitable status from Canada Revenue Agency. - Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photo

People can now get a receipt for donating food items and use it for income tax purposes during the next tax season. It's been in effect since March 5.

Food bank Grant Pryznyk said this week that it has not necessarily been a huge issue with people not wanting to donate, however, he hopes the renewed charitable status might get people to help the food bank more.

“We are hoping it will make a difference,” he said, pointing out that companies that have donated are able to account for what they give in their financial statements.

“We have had a lot of people who have given us donations in any event because they think it is a good deal to operate in town. This way, people can now get an income tax receipt for the donations themselves.”

The YK Food Bank, formerly the Yellowknife Food Bank Society, lost both its society status and charitable status in 2007 after missing a deadline for paperwork. The Yk Food Bank operates out of the basement of Overlander Sports, where it gives out groceries to needy families twice a month on Saturdays.

“We've been getting our administrative work done to determine what we can do to meet Revenue Canada's requirements for charitable status,” he said, pointing out that this included providing a financial report and submitting information documents on the food bank's directors.

“So it took a while to get all of that together in a coordinated effort to send back to Revenue Canada,” said Pryznyk.

He said the food bank continues to run apace with 25 volunteers regularly contributing. The number of food handouts is largely stable with between 100 and 150 boxes of food given out to those in need ever two weeks. Efforts have been made to raise cash in recent weeks at a barbecue at the Yellwoknife Co-op and with the city pitching in by taking food items for parking meter and late library book fines.

Since March, the food bank has also switched to baskets that were recently donated by BHP Billiton.

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