As food bank use soars, Winnipeg group helps fill the gap for North End families

At a time when food bank use is higher than ever in Manitoba, the Elizabeth Fry Society in Winnipeg's North End has been stepping up its efforts to help.

The group, best known for assisting women dealing with the justice system, opened a community food bank a few years ago, soon after COVID hit.

"People were coming to the door asking for food," said executive director Tasha Banfield. "So we started a hamper program."

The need has grown considerably since then, she said, with the food bank providing twice as many hampers in 2023 as last year.

"We also created a pantry so people can come other days and get emergency food, just to get them by," she said.

The once-weekly food bank on Selkirk Avenue is now open twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays at 1.

Miranda Ross is a mother of four who drops by on every hamper day. It's just one of many food banks she visits each week to help feed her family on a fixed income.

"It's hard to balance risking going homeless or not being able to feed my family," Ross said.

"I'm having to be short on rent because I need a little more food, or pay the full amount of rent and be short on food," she explained. "It's hard."

People often start lining up in front of Elizabeth Fry hours in advance, many of them mothers and grandmothers with several mouths to feed.

A new report by Harvest Manitoba suggests 68 per cent of Manitobans accessing food banks are women.

The organization, which supplies hundreds of food banks across the province, surveyed more than 500 food bank users for its new Harvest Voices 2023 report.

It found nearly two-thirds of the respondents have children.

'Just can't make ends meet'

Banfield said EFS gave out more than 3,000 hampers this year, plus hundreds of emergency food bags. That's up from about 1,600 last year.

"It's a struggle in the community," Banfield said. "Prices have skyrocketed, and if you're living in poverty or on a lower income, you just can't make ends meet."

Banfield says inflation isn't the only reason for the increase. The Bear Clan Food Pantry, across the street from Elizabeth Fry, closed suddenly over the summer.

EFS is one of several community agencies in the North End working to fill in the gap.

"People are always thankful," said EFS program and volunteer co-ordinator Verla Boyd, who hands out dozens of paper bags filled with groceries to those waiting out on the street.

"It's really heartwarming, and it's also very saddening that the number of people who use the food bank rose. And it's not just people that are homeless, it's people like me, who are working."

In addition to helping members of the community, the Elizabeth Fry Society is also helping its own clients with food.

Alycia Mark and Madeline Harper are raising eight kids while they both go to school full-time.

The couple relies on hampers from EFS and said, while they're grateful for the support, the food only lasts a day or two.

"So then we struggle and have to wait till next week to get more fruits, because the kids eat them like there's no tomorrow," Mark said.

Mark and Harper were roommates in Elizabeth Fry's bail program and are now building a life together.

But they said rising housing costs are an obstacle.

"We have a reduced rent right now, so that's great," said Mark. "But we're trying to find a bigger home for our family, and it's ridiculous how much rents have gone up."

Harvest Manitoba's survey found 84 per cent of food bank users rent their homes, spending an average of just over $1,000 a month.

That's about 40 per centper cent less than the average rent for a two-bedroom in Winnipeg of $1,645, suggesting most food bank users have to settle for more marginal housing.

Mark and Harper said they hope to one day afford their dream of a bigger home, by keeping up their studies, with help from Elizabeth Fry.

Three ways to help CBCand Harvest Manitoba toMake the Season Kind:

1. Donation line:1-204-982-3581.
2. Online.
3. Drop offfood itemsat Harvest Manitoba,1085 Winnipeg Ave.

Donation phone lines will be open until 7:30 p.m. Friday and for a short time Saturday morning, from 7-11 a.m. Online donations for the campaign will be accepted until end of day Sunday.

Winnipeg group expands food bank to help fill gap in North End

10 months ago

Duration 3:01

CBC's Emily Brass speaks to organizers and clients at the Elizabeth Fry Society's food bank in Winnipeg's North End, which is expanding its hours due to a spike in demand.