The Weyburn Salvation Army food bank knows the importance of keeping food fresh, especially when it is milk, bread, meat and fruit or vegetables. After receiving a $20,000 donation from the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, the Weyburn Salvation Army was able to purchase new fridges and freezers to store donated items.
“We really needed that capacity, so now we have three freezers and an industrial fridge, so that we can hold more milk and fresh vegetables in the fridge, and more meats and breads in our freezers,” said community ministries coordinator, Jennifer Lorinczy.
In 2015, SUN reached out to the Salvation Army regarding their “Healthier Communities” grant. Every year, different organizations from across the province are chosen as the grant recipient.
“Helping to build strong, health communities is at the very core of SUN’s mission and the registered nursing profession, said Tracy Zambory, president of SUN. “The work that the Salvation Army performs is so central to addressing the key social determinant of health, food security, in the Weyburn community.”
After completing the grant paperwork and application, SUN notified that the Salvation Army would receive the $20,000 that they had requested.
Currently, the Weyburn food bank is in good supply, mostly due to recent non-perishable food collections by Loblaws and the Sun Country EMS. “We are pretty stocked up on some things. But we are getting low on canned meat, canned vegetables and fruits, brown beans, juice boxes and school-lunch snacks,” said Lorinczy.
She also noted that the Salvation Army also accepts Co-op Gift Card donations, so that their branch can purchase the perishable items, such as milk, fruit and vegetables. “The old fridge that we had just couldn’t keep up with the amount of purchases we were making, so the new fridge purchase will keep us stocked longer.”
