Picture Butte food bank runs quite smoothly thanks to community support

By Stan Ashbee
Sunny South News

So far, it’s been going good this Christmas season and moving ahead into the New Year at the North County Interfaith Food Bank in Picture Butte. “We get a lot of support from our community. As a food bank, we run quite smoothly. We don’t have to be that anxious about donations, which is a blessing in our community,” said Nancy Nieboer, manager of the food bank.
Nieboer explained the needs of the food bank are pretty close to matching last year’s numbers, as this season the food bank will deliver close to 50 Christmas hampers over the holidays.
“We do food and gifts,” she added.
The hampers, according to Nieboer, will be delivered this Saturday and the delivery is a community project each year.
“We ask for volunteers. In the churches and what not we put out memos saying this is what we’re doing and we always have a great volunteer response to it. So, we get it done in the morning,” she added.
As for operating costs and the like heading into 2016, Nieboer noted, it’s so far so good. “We can’t complain.”
Currently, Nieboer said, she is noticing a few different people utilizing the food bank but not as many as a city food bank might see in regards to the downturn in the economy.
“We’re rural, so I find we have it ‘easier’ just because people that lose their jobs tend to gravitate to the bigger cities, that’s where they can find a job easier and find a place to live. I think that’s where Lethbridge and Calgary and even Coaldale would have just maybe a bigger influx of people coming in over a rural setting,” she said. But, she added, she could be wrong with that assumption. Nieboer, both as food bank manager and a member of the board, would like to thank the community for the overwhelming response to the needs of the people in Picture Butte and area.