Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list inclu...
It’s the worst time of year to be a turkey, but the best time of year to be someone who likes eating turkey, with Thanksgiving on Monday.
Not everyone has the luxury of affording a full Thanksgiving dinner, and the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre wants to change that.
Read more:
- Thanksgiving demand is high as Regina charities plan to feed hundreds
- Saskatoon Friendship Inn ready to serve up Thanksgiving dinner
Hampers in the food bank this week were filled with a Thanksgiving related items.
“The public’s been great,” Deborah Hamp, Director of Operations and Engagement at food bank said. “We don’t advertise or ask for … turkeys at Thanksgiving, but many people are thinking about their neighbours and will drop by a frozen turkey.”
The food bank serves thousands of households in Saskatoon, and the need is always growing.
“We serve about 8,500 households a month on behalf of about 23,000 people,” Hamp said.
Hamp said that since she started working at the food bank the need for its services has nearly doubled.
“When I started here 15 years ago, we were seeing 12,000 people a month,” she said.
“So it’s doubled over that time span — the cost of living, … pretty significant rent increases, and the cost of food has skyrocketed, so all of these factors combine.”
Hamp said different factors have led to the increased need of food bank services in Saskatoon.
“People’s circumstances can change in an instant,” she said. “We do know that there are new users every month, and there’s many people who could really need food bank (services) but aren’t sure that their need is great enough.”
“We really encourage people … if you’re struggling to put food on the table, if you haven’t had certain things in your home for a long time that are important to your nutrition to not feel bad, to have to come to a food bank.”
Hamp hopes the kindness from people in the community serves as a reminder as to why these services are so important.
“Everyone wants to be able to participate in traditions in different ways,” she said.
“It’s a way that people can feel included and can feel that they can invite people into their homes just like anyone else can… it’s just part of that social fabric of our lives and one that many people take for granted.”
Hamp said the ages of people who use the food bank services vary.
“About 11 or 12 per cent of people who use the food bank are seniors,” she said. “… 41 per cent … are children — that’s often a very sobering thought for folks.”
Mustard Seed hosting Thanksgiving dinner
The Mustard Seed in Saskatoon is offering Thanksgiving dinners to people on Monday.
“We are serving meals at both our housing location and our shelter location,” said Laura Giesbrecht, senior director of food services at The Mustard Seed.
“We’re able to serve a full traditional Thanksgiving meal — all the way from the turkey down to the cranberries and even pumpkin pie.”
The Calgary-based Christian non-profit organization is preparing for 90 meals.
Giesbrecht said The Mustard Seed makes sure to go all out during holiday seasons.
“Thanksgiving is one of the most important holidays for The Mustard Seed,” she said. “It’s an opportunity for us to show people that no one has to be alone on Thanksgiving.”
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