The Martensville Free Pantry held an Open House on Wednesday, October 5th as a way to invite local residents to come in and see the space, learn more about the organization, ask questions and get information on volunteer opportunities.
The volunteers that are behind the MFP were on hand to share their experiences with the MFP, as well as Dillon Shewchuk, Community Economic Development Manager for the City of Martensville, who spoke about the City’s role within the organization.
The Martensville Free Pantry was created in 2016 by local resident Marcy Cross, and had humble beginnings as a shelf space within the halls of the Martensville Civic Centre that had non-perishable donations available for people to pick-up anonymously.
Over the years, the MFP has grown in many ways, not only in need, but also in the space it utilizes within the Civic Centre, the equipment that has been donated to store food and also in the volunteers needed to continue operating to serve those in need within the region.
“Things around here look very different from what it used to. This all began with a shelf in the hallway, and although there was a need then, that need became more apparent during the pandemic,” Shewchuk stated.
These days, the MFP has a space dedicated to operation where they are able to store donations on shelves and within refrigerators and a freezer and are available throughout the week during the same hours as the Martensville Library (Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:30am-5:30pm, Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30am-7:30pm and Saturday from 9:30am-2:00pm).
This summer, a new group of volunteers began operating the MFP; however, more help is still welcome as the need continues to grow. The MFP not only serves those within Martensville, but has also supporting families from other surrounding communities such as Warman, Hepburn, Dalmeny and others.
“We want to support as many people within the region as possible; however, we don’t help in Saskatoon because they already have a lot of resources there. Our goal is to keep it local, so when people donate food to us, they know it is helping locally,” MFP volunteer Taralynn Wagner explained.
Currently, the MFP provides anywhere from 9-12 food hampers to families every two weeks. Those receiving hampers are required to provide health cards, or another form of identification for each family member, and proof of residence. Hampers must be requested by 5pm on Tuesdays and are available to be picked up on Wednesdays between 11am and 1pm. Hampers are created based on each family’s size and requirements such as if there are children in need of school lunch options, dietary requirements, etc.
“We also have hygiene and other items available upon request. When people come for hampers, they have access to items on shelves and can take what they need, as well as items that they maybe don’t need as often like condiments, coffee pods, pet food and things like that, but they have the option this way at least,” volunteer Linda Ward said.
Outside of the food hampers, there are items available throughout the day for anyone in need of some extra food on the shelves and refrigerator within the hallway.
“We want to be able to help everyone. We hate saying no because we don’t have enough supplies. The main thing is that we take care of the hampers first, and then we put things on the shelves in the hallway. Usually, there is always something out there for people,” MFP volunteer Brenda Carter explained.
Donations are what keep the MFP operational, and over the years, numerous service groups, businesses, schools and individuals have made donations. Additionally, Martensville Co-op Food Store and Buy-Low Foods in Warman make regular donations of bakery items, dairy items and meat. Shoppers also have the option to purchase ‘Hunger Bags’ at the Martensville Co-op, which vary in cost and go directly to the MFP.
The MFP volunteers have been reaching out to similar organizations within other communities that have been operating longer to gain knowledge in order to continue to grow.
“They have been able to reach out to some other food banks and find out a little more about how they work. For example, making sure hampers are getting to people that actually need it, finding out about vetting processes, what works, what is fair but still respects people’s privacy and making sure donations aren’t being wasted on those that don’t necessarily need them,” Shewchuk said.
Since the MFP runs on donations, they are very careful to avoid waste, and in doing so, even donate bakery items that do not get used to a local farm for the animals to eat.
For those interested in donating items or their time to the Martensville Free Pantry, you can contact them via their Facebook page, by emailing martensvillefreepantry@gmail.com , or calling/texting (306) 280-1255.
