Representatives from Food Banks Canada are visiting two Beaufort Delta communities to examine the potential for developing food banks in the region.
Jay Stevens, a program officer at the national charity, said discussions with local leaders have been ongoing for months in the hope of “developing a concrete system for the communities.”
Stevens said the goal is to establish food banks in each community within the Beaufort Delta. This week’s trip to Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk is designed to initiate that process.
Inuvik already has a volunteer-run food bank. Its role in that kind of system isn’t yet clear.
“For us at Food Banks Canada the most important [thing] is connecting with the leadership and getting their views on how they would fit a food banks system in each of the communities,” Stevens told Cabin Radio on Saturday.
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Stevens said communities have taken steps to develop their own food security initiative by accessing Food Banks Canada’s grants and programs.
He said collaborating and networking with other communities and organizations to look at funding opportunities will be crucial.
Food Banks Canada was also expected to visit the five Sahtu communities in February. That trip has been rescheduled for April.
In December, Stevens attended a meeting in Yellowknife at which the idea of creating a food distribution hub in the city was explored.
At the time, he said that kind of initiative would be a “key factor” in developing a Sahtu regional hub that other communities could replicate.
