Food bank an early success
Hungry mouths getting their fill in Resolute thanks to new service
Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Monday, July 13, 2015
QUASUITTUQ/RESOLUTE BAY
It doesn't matter your age, circumstances or employment status in Resolute Bay - if you want food, you can get it.
Sarah Salluviniq has started a food bank in Resolute Bay. With help from the RCMP, she's been locking people up in a mock jail to raise money for food. - photo courtesy of Sarah Salluviniq |
That's the goal anyway with Sarah Salluviniq's food bank, which just started in the last couple of months and is already garnering a lot of community support and positive feedback.
"I noticed a lot of food banks opening up in the North and Resolute wasn't one of them, so I thought I'd give it a try," said Salluviniq.
"It seems to be doing good."
Once a week she gives out food and the number of recipients is increasing. Last delivery she did about 18 homes and has 21 signed up for next time.
Food scarcity in Resolute isn't a major issue, she said, "but it's always good to have a little extra help."
The first batch of food was donated by scientists at the Polar Continental Shelf Program. Since then Salluviniq has been making orders out of her own pocket.
"It's mainly meat, bread, milk, eggs," she said.
"The third batch was frozen meat. There was chicken, ground pork, steak."
Now she's been fundraising at the local store to keep the project going. She uses a variety of draws, auctions and recently a mock jail to raise money.
In the mock jail, a community member requests someone to go to the cell for a dollar a minute, for a maximum of two hours. A local volunteer and the RCMP pick up the person, staging a mock arrest, and either the person can sit in jail for the designated time or bail out by paying the dollar-a-minute fee.
"If somebody wanted somebody at the cell for 10 minutes they'd have to pay $10, and if that person didn't want to go to the cell they'd have to bail out the same amount that person pays," said Salluviniq.
It's been a big success so far. Salluviniq was proud to say the mock jail raised $575 for the food bank.
"I'm very happy," she said.
"It came out really good."
Use of the food bank isn't limited to those demonstrating a need for food or people without jobs.
"Anyone in the community is welcome if they want food," said Salluviniq.
"It doesn't matter if they're working or not. If they need it, they need it."
Salluviniq, who grew up in Resolute Bay and moved to Pond Inlet for 19 years before coming back three years ago, said she hopes more organizations and companies participate in the fundraising once they find out her food bank exists.
To that end, she's set up a GoFundMe fundraising page under the key words charityforchange.
