Local food banks providing for need year-round

Food banks throughout Lethbridge provide services such as pop-up locations and student emergency access to food support.

The Lethbridge Food Bank Society feeds the need through their food hampers and other programs they provide.

Mac Nichol, executive director at the Lethbridge Food Bank Society, says the food hampers the food bank provides is about two and a half weeks’ worth of food. He adds that although they don’t have enough food to suffice, they can help people.

“What we do is we allow people to have at least a safe footing with their food. It’s impossible to move up or to do anything in your life without having sustainable food in your diet,” says Nichol.

Along with the hamper program, the food bank recently started a program called Mobile Food Support. Through this program, they run pop-up food banks around the city.

Nichol says the program runs three times a month and it serves about 200 households every time.

“We do understand that there’s a lot of people that do not have access to a motor vehicle and by creating these pop-up food banks allows us to help with that access to our services,” says Nichol.

The Lethbridge Food Bank Society is proud to be part of the community and help people get out of poverty.

One of the clients at the Lethbridge Food Bank Society says she relies on the food bank as a lowincome citizen and finds the food bank to be a comfortable environment to go to.

“The staff that works here are really terrific. They go out of their way to help you. They’re very polite. They’re smiling. They don’t intimidate. They treat. They treat you like a friend,” she said.

Food banks contribute to the community, including on the Lethbridge College campus. The Lethbridge College Students’ Association runs a food bank all year round.

Angela Fretts, the association services coordinator for the LCSA, says the food bank at the Lethbridge College relies heavily on donations from the college community.

“If a student is struggling or just needs that little bit of extra help, we’re here,” says Fretts.

Fretts says Lethbridge College students can apply for a food hamper and receive a week’s worth of food as an emergency.

Food banks are always looking for support from the community. People can help through volunteering or donating food and money to the food banks.

For information about how to support the local foods banks in Lethbridge, visit lethbridgefoodbank.ca, interfaithfoodbank.ca, ulsu.ca or mylcsa.com.