Food Bank up and running in Kam Lake
Rent among challenges for non-profit organization
Simon Whitehouse
Northern News Services
Published Friday, July 25, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A dump truck with a load of gravel rumbled nearby and a cloud of dust kicked up in the shared unpaved parking lot outside the Yellowknife Food Bank's new Kam Lake location as volunteers organized crates of donated food on Wednesday.
Yellowknife Food Bank volunteers Judi Cozzetto, left, and Grant Pryznyk organize food crates at the new food bank location at 6 Coronation Drive in Kam Lake. - Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photo |
It was probably the biggest sign that big changes are still being made as the non-profit organization has been functioning at 6 Coronation Drive since May. The food bank, which had been based in the basement of Overlander Sports for the last decade and the Calvary Baptist Church before that, moved out of the downtown core to a warehouse outlet owned by TC Enterprises.
The biggest difference since moving has been having to pay rent as the group owes a monthly amount of more than $1,200 plus utilities for the rental space as part of a one-year lease.
When the food bank was in Overlander, the sports and goods store allowed the organization to function rent-free.
Three months since moving into the Kam Lake location, food bank president Grant Pryznyk says there have been few noticeable challenges to continue functioning, but new efforts may have to be found to ensure revenue is coming in.
"It is significant (paying rent) and we are going have to get into a major fundraising drive to cover those costs because it is going to be there every month," he said. "We have to pay rent if we want to stay."
Earlier this year, the food bank had been looking for a new street-level location, ideally in the downtown so that it was easier for its clients to access the food. Often, many of the users of the food bank have a disability, are elderly or are families with a number of children and going up and downstairs at Overlander was always a problem.
The Kam Lake location is both easier to access for food drop off, can store many more items and has plenty of parking in the front of the building.
Volunteers, who tend to be more than 45 years old, have said they find it easier to carry items as well. Still, Pryznyk said the original idea had been to keep it downtown.
"We wanted to keep it downtown, but we couldn't afford the rent and we looked at places right on Franklin," he said, adding that locations considered were either in a basement or double what the food bank was willing to pay.
Pryznyk and his vice-president, Joanne Teed, remain upbeat about the operation and have not received many complaints about the food bank being so far away from downtown. However, he admits that aside from fundraising, ways to solve transportation issues may have to be considered.
"We are trying to see what the impact will be in the fall and should know by the end of September once people start coming in and looking for food," he said, adding that drop-ins and food bank usage typically takes lowers in the summer, even though the food bank remains operational.
"So we want to look at can we look at (having) a bus service that runs twice every Saturday morning or run a bus from downtown and maybe stays here every 20 minutes each time. That is something we would organize, potentially."
Other planned projects include upgrades to the site, especially a bathroom and running water for volunteers who often spend whole mornings at the site, said Pryznyk. The organization runs on a budget of roughly $15,000 per year, which is entirely donated.
Pryznyk added the organization is continuing to look for volunteers in large part because they lose one or two staff members each year.
There doesn't seem to be a real problem with the amount of food being donated, said Pryznyk. The city library's Food for Funds program, which allows users to donate food items in place of paying money for overdue fees, saw about 220 kg -- or 25 baskets - of food donated to the food bank last month.
There are, however, shortages in certain food items that users would like to see.
"A lot of people are tired of beans and we give beans because it is a good source of proteins, other than canned meats," said warehouse manager Judi Cozetto. "One thing we can use is baking powder because a lot of clients make bannock. We have the flour and lard, but not the baking powder. It tends to be quite expensive."
The food bank has donation days every second Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to noon. The next donation day will be Aug. 2, with the following dates on Aug. 16 and Aug. 30.
The group meets every third Thursday at the boardroom of DanMax Communications at 20 Melville Drive. Meetings are at 7 p.m., with the next one set to be held Aug. 27.
