Overflowing foodbank a good thing; community need on the rise

BY NANCY KELLY

Kings County Register

Kingston’s Upper Room Foodbank has a “good, established situation,” thanks in large part to the generosity of private sector donations.

Members of the volunteer foodbank, which services communities between Auburn and the Dodge Road on Kingston’s west side, met July 9.

On the occasion of the organization’s 16th annual general meeting, chairman Carolyn Crossly remarked the foodbank has continued to operate long past its original mandate.

"We were aiming for five years when we started, and here we are 16 years later,” said Crossly, adding the foodbank has “diligently looked for solutions” to meet the never-ending need in the community.

Financial statements reviewed at the meeting show donations to the foodbank are way up from the previous year, during which the foodbank gave out donation receipts for just over $18,000. In 2006/ 07 receipted donations totalled close to $62,000. Expenses for food were also up this past year, with the foodbank spending $43,000 on food purchases, of which $30,000 was received as a gift-in-kind from a Kingston-based food processing and distribution company. At its year end, the foodbank registered a net income of $12,479 after expenses.

Manager Harley Hazelwood said "last year’s significant donations and the co-operation of the community are big factors” in the foodbank’s ability to reach out to those in need. He said the foodbank is well supported by several private and corporate business, local churches and the public.

“We are very fortunate to have many supporters,” admitted Hazelwood.

The foodbank received 152,177 pounds of food from local donations, Feed Nova Scotia, food purchases and food bank sharing in 2007. It handed out an additional 4,465 pounds on top of what was received in service to clients.

Kings West MLA Leo Glavine attended the meeting and questioned how the foodbank screens it clients. Hazelwood explained MSI numbers are now taken as a way to track client usage and discourage people from visiting neighbouring foodbanks. Feed Nova Scotia started this system about six months ago, and Hazelwood said it seems to be working.

“If a family comes for assistance, we need to see the MSI numbers of the parents and all the children. It cuts down on abuse of the system.”

There are 22 volunteers in the foodbank at the present time, plus a board of directors. New directors for the year ahead were named at the meeting. Sabine Gibson assumed the position of chairman from Crossley, who will serve as vice-chair in the year ahead. Dianne Cushing and Jean Spencer will remain in their respective roles of secretary and treasurer.

Feeding people

• 3,728 people were served by the foodbank between June 1, 2006 and May 31, 2007

• Of that, 2,277 were adults and 1,451 were children

• The total represents a slight increase over the previous year’s 3,417 clients