One out of every 17 Flin Flon-Creighton area residents used the Lord’s Bounty Food Bank in 2015-16, making for one of the charity’s busiest years yet.
The food bank had 480 clients for the year ended Sept. 30, an increase of 87 over the previous year.
“This is something that’s trending across the country – more and more people are depending on food banks for help,” said Dennis Hydamaka, food distribution chairman at the food bank.
Hydamaka blames rising grocery prices across Canada for the trend. He believes local food bank usage will continue to climb in 2016-17 based on visitation figures in October and early November.
This past fiscal year marked the fourth-busiest year on record for the food bank. Yet while client numbers rose 22 per cent from the previous year, visitations were up a modest four per cent, indicating many clients were not regulars.
The total of 480 clients in 2015-16 meant that one out of 17 residents of Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach – communities with a combined total of 7,910 people – relied on the food bank at least once.
Nearly half of those clients, 45 per cent, were children and youth under the age of 18. Six per cent were 55 or older.
Hydamaka noticed a slight increase in the number of clients on disability pensions. He estimated fewer than 10 per cent of clients were employed, a figure consistent with previous years.
Hydamaka said usage would have been even higher last fiscal year had the food bank not been closed for eight days due to a fire at its former Hapnot Street location.
The food bank is now temporarily located in the back of Burkee’s Sports Lounge and Restaurant, with volunteers actively looking for a new building, likely to purchase rather than rent.
Hydamaka said volunteers have scouted out at least a dozen possible locations, all of them in the uptown area, but the move is unlikely to happen before spring.
He said the food bank prefers a low-visibility location given how sensitive many clients are about being seen visiting the facility.
Food bank volunteers had been looking for a new location even before a September fire claimed the life of a tenant who lived in the upstairs suite of the Hapnot Street building.
While the situation “can change pretty quick,” Hydamaka said strong community support is enabling the food bank to keep up with demand.
The food bank opened in 1991. Its busiest year was 2009-10.
By the numbers: Food bank fiscal year
Number of clients: 480
Number of client visits: 2,598
Number of meals provided: 15,588
Clients under age 18: 45%
Clients under age 6: 20%
Clients who are 55 or older: 6%
Clients from Flin Flon: 81%
Clients from Creighton: 9%
Clients from Denare Beach: 10%
Source: Lord’s Bounty Food Bank
