The Martensville Free Pantry was first established in Martensville in 2016. What first began as a simple donation drop-off point located within the hallway of the Civic Centre has grown into a community initiative supported by individuals, businesses, sports teams, local organizations and schools to help support families within the community and the surrounding region.
The goal for the MFP is to provide a variety of food and hygiene items for local families to access as anonymously as possible.
Beginning this year, the MFP now has a dedicated space within the Civic Centre, in Room #2, which can now provide a lot more opportunity for the people in the community. This new space has also allowed for the addition of a refrigeration unit and a freezer unit. Since adding these units, the MFP is now able to accept a wider variety of donations.
Recently, the Martensville Co-op Food Store began donating just-expired dairy products including milk, margarine, yogurt, eggs, etc. that are now being included in food hampers. This is in addition to the regular donations of bread and baking items that are set to expire the following day.
Co-op also provides customers with the opportunity to purchase Hunger Bags, which are collected and donated to the MFP. According to MFP volunteer Deseri Adrian, they are currently averaging five to six Hunger Bags each week; however, during holiday seasons such as Christmas and Easter, those numbers increase to approximately 15 bags per day.
“The time of year plays a big part in the donations that we are receiving and we are so grateful for all of the support; however, people are in need all year round. For example, at one point, we had about 40 bags of cereal on hand and now we are down to only four,” Adrian explained.
Adrian, who began volunteering for the MFP approximately four years ago, never imagined the growth this initiative would see in such a short amount of time. “I had originally signed up to pick up bread and drop it off at the Civic Centre, and then once Covid hit, I offered to run the free pantry from my front porch for 14 days to help flatten the curve. That 14 days turned into a year and a half and we really got to see how much of a need there was in the community during that time. This is such an important thing for people to have access to and I could not be happier to see how much it has grown and I look forward to seeing how much more it can continue to grow.”
While based from Adrian’s home, the MFP began creating food hampers for families that could provide a variety of items that are made to last approximately two weeks. The only information required for hampers is how many people are in your family, if there are any school aged children and if there are any infants or toddlers. “We ask these questions so we can ensure that you get a hamper that is designed specifically for your families needs,” Adrian stated.
The support from the community has been astounding and whether the donation is large or small, it is always greatly appreciated. Recently, the MFP received a donation of $1000 worth of smokies, sausages and hotdogs thanks to a partnership between O’Neill Project Management and Smokehaus Meats. Another large donation was made recently which brought in 250 pounds of potatoes to be shared among the families using the food hampers.
Currently, there is approximately 25 families getting full hampers each month, but that does not include people who use the MFP to grab a few items here and there.
Adrian, along with six other volunteers are grateful for the support that the MFP has gotten from the City of Martensville. “They have stood behind us a hundred percent and are the reason that we have grown as much as we have. It is amazing how much they support what we are doing here.”
Another exciting moment came recently when the MFP was notified that they received a nomination for the Prairie Sky Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards in the Non-Profit Organization category. “It means so much to us to be recognized in the community and we are always looking for new ways to get the word out to people in need, so this definitely helps with that,” said Adrian.
Donations are what make the MFP possible and Adrian noted that 99.9% of all donations are utilized. Items that cannot be used are donated to local farms to be fed to the animals. “We try to ensure there is as little waste as possible and spread the love when we can. This past December, we had so many donations that we were able to share with the local Kinette Club to help provide to more families. We just ask that people make sure they are not donating expired items,” Adrian stated.
The MFP is open during the same hours as the Martensville Library, which is Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:30am – 5:30pm, Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30am – 7:30pm and Saturday from 9:30am – 2:00pm. For more information, to arrange for a donation drop-off or pick-up, or to request a food hamper, contact the Martensville Free Pantry at martensvillefreepantry@gmail.com.
“I am excited to see where the Free Pantry will go from here. Martensville is continuing to grow, which means the need for support continues to grow. This new location allows for us to support that grown because we now have more room to store food and help more people.”
