Sackville Food Bank expands services with 24/7 Community Sharing Cupboard
Sackville has a new emergency support to help people survive the inflationary economy. The Community Sharing Cupboard opened last month behind the Ice Cream Coop on Lorne Street, and the Sackville Food Bank volunteers that run it are ready for an official launch event this Wednesday at 4pm on site.
CHMA caught up with Sackville Food Bank president Heather Patterson and vice-president Tammy Faye to find out more about the new service:
“Food insecurity is at the highest level it’s ever been,” says Patterson. And so the Food Bank has taken inspiration from similar programs across the region, and added another way that people can get help, on short notice, and without paperwork. The Sackville Community Sharing Cupboard is a free, 24/7, self-serve food and supply resource.
Faye says the Sharing Cupboard has been open for about a month, and is already seeing considerable use. “We’re emptied out all the time,” says Faye. The Cupboard is replenished by the Food Bank weekly, and also relies on donations to keep stocked.
A wide range of people use the cupboard, including some who already make use of the Food Bank. “I had somebody who called me today who got his order from the Food Bank last week,” says Patterson. The Food Bank is limited to supplying people every two weeks, but Patterson says the man she spoke to was able to use the Sharing Cupboard to supplement his groceries in the interim.… Continue