Wood Buffalo Food Bank Kicks Off March Hamper Challenge

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By Wood Buffalo Food Bank

(March 04, 2019) Fort McMurray, Alberta – Throughout the month of March, several media personalities in Fort McMurray will be living off a two-week hamper to experience what it is like to depend solely on the Food Bank.

Each participant is given a list of food items that are typically found on a hamper list at the Wood Buffalo Food Bank (WBFB) and can only eat those items over the two-week period. They will be giving regular updates on their experience which will be shared onto the WBFB’s Facebook page. Participants of the challenge include; Elizabeth Priest (Mix 103.7FM), Andrew Skwarek (100.5 Cruz FM), Elliot Pierre (Aurakey Digital Agency), Andrew Wilcox (Wander w/ Andrew Wilcox Podcast), Laura Beamish (Fort McMurray Today), Dan Edwards (WBFB), and Anna Noble (WBFB). The purpose of this challenge is to spread awareness of what is provided in a WBFB hamper and how reliant the organization is on donations from the community.

While a typical Food Bank hamper a client receives is for a month, for the sake of the challenge the hamper list has been halved. Canned and boxed items are included, as well as fresh items such a produce, eggs, dairy and meat. The goal of the WBFB is to provide the healthiest hampers possible, and that comes with the assistance from the community with food and cash donations. Cash donations go towards the purchasing of the fresh items that go into a hamper.

Monthly food hampers from the WBFB help alleviate some of the costs that go towards purchasing food, however, in many cases clients only have the food given to rely on for the month. Therefore, during the challenge all participants can only eat what is on that list, and if they choose to go outside of that list they must come clean and announce it.

“Our numbers still remain high and there is currently a one week waiting period for clients to get in for an appointment,” states Dan Edwards, Executive Director of the WBFB, “Unfortunately there has been a decline in donations coming in since the holiday season, which is leading towards the possibility of us having to reduce the size of our hampers in the near future in order to provide something for everyone.”

The WBFB hopes that this challenge encourages the community to donate so that they can continue to provide as much healthy food hampers as possible to those in need.
About the Wood Buffalo Food Bank Association Established in 1983, the Wood Buffalo Food Bank Association provides programs and services that provide the resources and education necessary to ensure food security for all citizens in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. For more information, visit www.woodbuffalofoodbank.com

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For more information, please contact:
Anna Noble
Communications and Development Manager
Wood Buffalo Food Bank Association
780-743-1125 ext.228
comm@woodbuffalofoodbank.com