BARRHEAD - Barrhead's food bank is one of four food banks in the province to have gained accreditation from Food Banks Canada.
Barrhead and District Family Community Support Services (FCSS) operates the food bank.
Executive director Savannah Belyk said the accreditation is important because it opens up additional grant funding opportunities.
To obtain the certification, the food bank needed to demonstrate that it was adhering to the Operational Excellence standards set out by Food Banks Canada.
The process of getting accredited took more than a year and involved a significant amount of work, including updating and, in some cases, creating new policies and documentation procedures.
"Bringing everything to a new level and standard of cleanliness, food preparation and food safety," Belyk said.
And the extra funding they hope to access is important to the food bank, as they, like their clients, are noticing not only a decrease in buying power due to inflation but also an increase in need.
From January to the end of May, the food bank served 688 individuals.
"On average, every month we are seeing between five to eight families or individuals access the food bank that have never accessed it before," she said, adding that there does not seem to be a set demographic of people who are looking for assistance. "We've got a large number of kids, adults, and seniors. It is right across the board."
When it comes to donations, Belyk said, one of the things that often gets forgotten is toiletries.
"[We do] give out soap and shampoo, toilet paper, toothpaste and the like, but it is not one of the things people often think about donating to the food bank," she said.
One of the more forgotten items and one that the food bank often is low on, Belyk said, is feminine hygiene products.
For the latter, she said, no product fits everyone, so she suggested people donate a variety.
"The same goes for soaps, shampoos, and shaving products, as everyone has different requirements, allergies, et cetera," Belyk said.
Of course, she added, the food bank always requires both typical non-perishable food items and fresh food.
"Now that it is summer and people are starting to get produce from their gardens, we welcome any donations of fresh vegetables that people have," Belyk said, adding that over the years, Barrhead's Community Garden has been especially generous. "They've dedicated several plots for the food bank."
Although she did not specifically mention it, in previous interviews with the Barrhead Leader, food bank coordinators have stated that they also accept donations of meat.
However, due to food safety regulations, any meat items must come from or be packaged by an accredited meat facility.
Presently, Belyk said, the food bank also requires items for children's lunches as part of its After the Bell program.
"We essentially give out one green bag per child every week in the summer months to tie families over, as many children receive breakfasts or lunches at their school [through programs such as Barrhead Elementary School's hot lunch initiative]," she said.
As for how people access food bank services, Belyk said, they never turn anyone away.
"We never turn somebody away for food. That will never happen," she said.
However, Belyk said, the food bank does have an intake process where they sit down with the client and go through the "Link to Feed" questionnaire.
"We want to find out how we can help them through the client support piece on the FCSS side, to take a look at the root cause of why they need to access the food bank, to learn what kind of programs or services we can offer to help the situation," she said.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
