The spirit of charity within the community shone brightly in late March as the Yellowknife Co-op assisted GlobalMedic in making a 680-kilogram (1,500-pound) donation of dried foods to the Salvation Army food bank.
The March 27 donation included beans, peas and lentils.
“This is our first donation with GlobalMedic, but we’re looking to make this an annual event,” said Jeff Kincaid, business development manager with Yellowknife Co-op. He added that the Co-op steps in with financial contributions, volunteer support and other resources to ensure that food banks receive all the assistance they need.
Kincaid explained that the Co-op’s role is pivotal in this partnership, acting as a bridge between GlobalMedic and the local community. While Global Medic could reach out directly to the food bank, the Co-op’s involvement ensures a more targeted and efficient distribution of resources, he said, noting that the retailer transported the goods from Toronto to Yellowknife.
The grocer has a history of supporting food banks and runs several food and hamper drives throughout the year.
“We work with all the food banks in town,” said Kincaid. “Our next event will support various charities, including the YWCA and YK Cares, aligning with our general plan to aid the community, barring any unforeseen crisis.”
An Ontario-based non-governmental humanitarian aid organization, GlobalMedic specializes in organizing donations of natural products, such as dried lentils, chickpeas and grains. The group works directly with farmers to source these goods at a lower cost, packages them, and then distributes them to food banks in need.
Tony Brushett, executive director with Yellowknife Salvation Army, expressed his gratefulness to GlobalMedic.
Each bag of dried food contains around 500 to 700 grams. Brushett said it would allow serving a single family in need with five to six meals. He emphasized that such a large donation is rare and “won’t come across every day — and this will help us in our food bank for the next month or so.