The Peguis Food Cupboard is open and needy families and individuals are being served with food, baby supplies and hygiene products that otherwise are hard to come by if you are on social allowance or low income. The work to establish the food bank was begun by Dawn Nykoluk and Mary Favell who are both enrolled in the Red River College Business Administration class in Peguis.
“We began looking at the food bank as something that is needed in Peguis which we could organize,” said Nykoluk.
“We talked to Sylvia Mckay of Community Services who filled in the forms and got the okay from the Council to proceed.”
Nykoluk is the volunteer coordinator of the food bank.
Tina Bear was glad to be at the Peguis Mall to pick up a care package of food and supplies.
“This is going to help us out a lot,” she said. “The food bank is something I need because my cupboard is bare today.”
The Winnipeg Harvest group from Winnipeg supplied the food and personal articles.
“Winnipeg Harvest currently includes 7 First Nation communities, Peguis being one of them,” said Karen Flett of Winnipeg Harvest. The Peguis Food Cupboard will receive a weekly shipment of food and products. The initial shipment which arrived yesterday is sufficient for 40 families, the priority going to those with children.
There are 1,095 individuals, 851 dependents and 758 children currently living on social allowance in Peguis, said Peguis Social Services director, Sylvia Mckay.
The Food Cupboard is located at the Peguis Mall directly across the hall from the Post Office. The food bank will distribute food and supplies each Wednesday. More information about the food bank can be obtained from the Social Department at 204.645.2359.
