Airdrie residents once again won’t be shimmying to Irish tunes in support of the Airdrie Food Bank this March, but they can still show their support for the non-profit organization in other ways.
The Airdrie Food Bank’s (AFB) biggest annual fundraiser of the year, the Shamrock Shimmy, was officially cancelled for the third consecutive year due to health risks of COVID-19 and the safety of their volunteers and attendees.
Christine Taylor, AFB’s events, marketing, and communications manager, said the food bank’s staff just weren't sure what the restrictions were going to look like by mid-March, and it was too late to start planning on March 1 – the date Alberta lifted most of its COVID-19 health restrictions – for an event that would take place just two weeks later.
“We planned it once and then had to cancel the day before [in 2020] and it was just heartbreaking, so we decided it would be best for our volunteers and staff and also for those that attend [not to host the event this year],” she said.
Many volunteers are retired seniors, some of whom are still being cautious due to the health risks of COVID-19.
The Shamrock Shimmy is an annual party-atmosphere fundraiser held on or near St. Patrick’s Day at the Town and Country Centre. It, along with another AFB fundraiser in the fall, is one of the organization’s signature fundraisers, bringing in well over $20,000 per year.
The fall fundraiser has also been cancelled since 2020.
Despite the loss of those funds, Taylor said the community has been very generous in their support of the food bank throughout the pandemic, even though many of them are hurting as well.
“Some people donate $10 through our website and say this is all we have but we want to help. $10 or $100, it all makes a huge difference,” Taylor said. “We've been very lucky that we've been able to keep our doors open this whole time.
“We've kept everybody safe, and we have still been able to feed our community.”
Without the donations from the community, AFB would not have been able to stay open, she said, as the need for the food bank has doubled since the onset of the pandemic.
AFB put together over 300 hampers this January, which far exceeds Januarys of the past, according to Taylor.
She noted the need for the food bank has come in waves throughout the pandemic. As government programs like the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) came to an end, or people’s severance packages ran out, the food bank saw correlating spikes in demand.
“A lot of people have misconceptions about who accesses food supports, and especially during COVID-19, we've seen lots of different types of jobs affected,” Taylor said.
The need remains and Taylor doesn’t see that need decreasing any time. While she wouldn’t be surprised to see demand increase in the near future, she hopes with the lifting of most COVID-19 restrictions as of this month, more people will be back to work.
“But some people who lost their jobs were because they lost their businesses. It's going to be tough for people for a while,” she said.
On top of that, record inflation and rising food and fuel costs Canada-wide also have a negative effect on families, making it harder to afford food.
Donations from local community grocery stores to AFB have gone down recently, and even the food donated by the public has become more expensive, Taylor said.
AFB has a pantry program, where families can come shop the AFB shelves for things they have in excess or are nearing their expiry.
“We're really proud of the fact that our hampers include fresh produce, dairy products, meat for eight to 10 days as well as all non-perishables,” Taylor said.
AFB continues to support local schools through a breakfast program, lunch program, and snack program.
When kids were learning from home during the pandemic, AFB offered kid packs to continue providing the support to families that rely on the in-school food programs.
Taylor said 43 per cent of AFB's clients are children under the age of 18, which means without the school programs, those youth may not be getting enough food.
“COVID-19 did make it difficult for us to do our programs for sure, but we're able to stay open and haven't had to turn anyone away,” Taylor said.
The food bank relies on donations from the community and Taylor thanked Airdrie residents for their generosity. She explained that the food bank receives no funding from the government, either federal or provincial, and that any government funding is applied for through grants.
During the pandemic, there were several programs AFB took advantage of, but typically, government grants make up less than 10 per cent of AFB’s donations and income, she added.
“Thanks to our community for keeping our doors open,” Taylor said. “Give if you can and come for help if you need it. We are here for everybody.”
For more information or how to access or donate to the food bank, go to airdriefoodbank.com
