(File photo/northeastNOW)

By Cam Lee

Food bank update

Melfort Food Bank expands services to help clientele

Nov 24, 2025 | 5:00 PM

The Melfort Food Bank continues to be busy as they help provide food for residents that are finding it difficult to make ends meet.

Secretary Ellen Zuck said over the past three or four years, the number of food bank clients has nearly tripled. She said those numbers have stabilized a bit recently, though about 40 per cent of their clientele is comprised of children.

“It’s been busy,” Zuck explained. “We’re doing probably anywhere from 40 to 60 families an opening.”

The food bank’s clientele has also changed over the years, with more working families forced to use the services.

“They’re both working and still can’t afford to buy groceries. That’s sad,” she said.

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Zuck said the number of senior citizens using the food bank has also increased in recent years.

A recent Food Banks Canada report found that monthly visits to food banks across Canada neared 2.2 million in March of this year. That’s five per cent higher than March of 2024 and nearly double that of pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

The higher cost of food is one factor in food bank usage. A Saskatchewan NDP news release on Tuesday pointed to Dalhousie University’s Canadian Food Sentiment Index, which found 39 per cent of Saskatchewan people reported using savings or borrowing money to put food on the table. That’s the highest rate in Canada.

Zuck said the Melfort Food Bank is constantly in need of non-perishable food items to stock their shelves, with the most common items being pork and beans and tuna or canned meat.

“We always have to purchase that because we can never get enough donations of that in,” she said.

Any items in a can, including tomatoes or spaghetti sauce, are always welcomed and in relatively high demand, according to Zuck.

Monetary donations to the food bank are welcomed at any time. Zuck said that allows them to purchase food when it’s on sale.

“We just bought 400 cans of tuna, because when it comes on [sale] for a dollar a can, we stock up,” Zuck said.

Financial donations also allow the food bank to pay their bills to stay in operation.

Zuck said the food bank building recently received an upgrade after the Melfort Knights of Columbus chapter replaced their roof as a donation. She said they can’t thank the Knights of Columbus enough for their generosity and added they have always been very supportive of the food bank.

The organization’s regular food hamper day is held every other Thursday. However, the food bank has expanded their services lately. They have been opening on the other Thursdays to help provide produce, bread, and deli items for clients. Zuck said the feedback on the produce days has been tremendous.

“We try to give out some nutritious food for the children, some lunch items,” Zuck explained. “We’ve been getting lots of fruit in.”

Those items are also taken to the Diefenbaker Place seniors complex to give to seniors that are in need. The food bank plans to do the same soon at Caskey Place seniors’ complex. Zuck said the produce days have filled a need for many clients.

“That’s what people say they can’t afford to go to the store and get.”

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cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com