Danceland at Manitou Beach will serve as a temporary essential supply site during the COVID-19 pandemic. (submitted photo/Bonnie Rawling)

By Angie Rolheiser

COVID-19 response

Temporary essential supply site located inside Danceland at Manitou Beach

Apr 1, 2020 | 12:18 PM

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Saskatchewan, families and individuals are facing unprecedented challenges.

With that, a temporary essential supply site is being set-up at Danceland at Manitou Beach for those needing extra assistance at this time and in the coming days, weeks, and possibly months ahead.

The site will compliment the nearby Watrous Food Bank and will fill in any gaps for families in the resort village as well as surrounding communities.

“There are things that the food bank is not able to offer at this time and one of those in the social distancing requirements,” organizer Bonnie Rawling said. “Danceland is a large enough space and they also have the cold food storage to safely store any perishable food items.”

The Food Bank will still be fully stocked to meet the needs of those that they already serve so this site will be for those additional needs that are incurring while many people are out of employment.

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“I just felt like this was something that was going to be a need and we want to be prepared for when it happens so people aren’t scrambling,” Rawling said. “We don’t want anyone going through the cracks.”

Another thing Rawling is trying to get set-up is having community liaisons for the smaller communities in the area as well.

“To make sure things are being put in place so that families that are need and out of jobs will have groceries in their fridges and needs are being met,” Rawling said.

The supplies at the dance hall will be free and available for anyone but Rawling referred to single parents, those on disability, and just those who don’t have resources such as family members helping them or checking in on them.

Rawling said over the past few weeks, she has seen a great number of individuals who are wanting to help out as well as those who are needing help. She decided to connect the two by bringing this idea forward and putting it into action.

In working with central Saskatchewan churches and communities such as Colonsay, Lanigan, Nokomis, Young, Drake, Liberty, Viscount, Plunkett, Holdfast and as far as Strasbourg, Rawling hopes to create a ‘phone chain.’

“We want liaisons in those communities that could make sure we have identified the individuals and families that could end up slipping through the cracks and making sure they know that this is here and available to them,” Rawling said.

Tables were set-up in Danceland on Monday and donations are now being collected on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through the east side door. Those are the same hours that items can be picked up once supplies have come in and are organized, but through the main entrance.

On top of food, donations for infants such as diapers and toiletries can be donated but they will not be accepting clothes.

There will only be 10 people allowed into the site at one time and everyone will need to sanitize before entering and leaving.

“We don’t want to create foot traffic unnecessarily but this is a necessary thing for some families,” Rawling said.

Call Rawling at 306-276-3377 or by email at treeoflife.hope@live.com for any further details.

“This is not anything that any of us have ever walked before and we just want to make sure that everyone is taken care of,” Rawling said.

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angie.rolheiser@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Angie_Rolheiser