The Kelvington Food Bank, which operates out of the basement of the United Church, is a lifeline to those who find themselves in need. Says Bernie Toth, Food Bank Volunteer and Co-ordinator, “anyone who shows up does not go away empty handed.”

In the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, Prairie North Co-op reached out to the Food Banks to determine the Food Bank’s critical need. The first donation saw several frozen turkeys donated. A couple of weeks later, when Prairie North Co-op learned that one of the major donation drives had been cancelled, they were back with about $1000 worth of the staples of the basic food packages that are assembled.

“We are open the second and fourth Tuesday of each month from 10 to 11 am,” explains Toth, “basic food packages include canned meat, 2 cans of soup, 2 packages of Kraft Dinner, 1 can of vegetables, 1 can of fruit, 1 package of pasta, 1 large can of spaghetti sauce, hamburger and a food voucher for 4 litres of milk, 1 tub of margarine, 1 dozen eggs and 2 loaves of bread.” Depending on the availability of other donations, visitors of the Food Bank, are then able to select a few additional items to fulfil special dietary requirements and/or personal needs.

The recent Prairie North Co-op donation will ensure that the Kelvington Food Bank can operate and continue to provide the same level of service for the foreseeable future.

Co-operatives help build, feed and fuel Western Canada. They have been doing this for more than a century. As a co-operative, they are not only working for their communities, they are owned by their community. Co-ops embed sustainability in their business by planning and investing for the long term, with the community and environment in mind; they work to create jobs; and they partner with other organizations and local businesses. Prairie North Co-op profits do not leave the community, they go back into it – and back to their members.