Melfort Food Bank offering After the Bell program through Food Banks Canada. (Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW staff)

By Angie Rolheiser

After the Bell

Melfort Food Bank offering kid-friendly food packages every Wednesday

Jul 2, 2020 | 1:00 PM

School age children in the community who may be missing school meals and snacks can take advantage of the After the Bell program in Melfort.

Food Banks Canada and the Melfort Food Bank will be distributing nutritional food packages from 1-2 p.m. every Wednesday.

Ellen Zuck with the food bank said it’s nice to see something like this in the northeast.

“We are really excited to have a national program available to us in Melfort,” Zuck said. “Lots of times it is much bigger centres to get these programs and not us little guys.”

The program began on Tuesday, June 30 due to the Canada Day holiday but will be on Wednesday’s in the weeks to come.

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The packages will be handed out at Memorial Park downtown and the Burke Kinsmen playground.

“The packs are all made and sent out to us from Food Banks Canada,” Zuck said. “We add fresh fruit and vegetables from here too.”

All children are welcome to utilize the program.

“It is all kid-friendly food that kids can make for themselves if they need to like crackers, granola bars, spread for the crackers and then i’ll also add yogurt tubes and cheese sticks,” Zuck said.

A maximum of 65 food packages are available each week according to Zuck, “I believe the schools do quite few snack and lunch programs so we are hoping to fill the void.”

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Zuck said the demand for hampers hasn’t increased too much just yet but they are still anticipating that will happen.

A call for donations was made back in April and Zuck said the community really delivered.

“The donations that have come in during this pandemic have been phenomenal, Melfort really stepped up,” Zuck said.

The Food Bank is open every other Thursday, including today, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Emergency hampers are available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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angie.rolheiser@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Angie_Rolheiser