INNISFAIL – For the second year in a row the Grow Greener program from Central Alberta Co-op is giving a helping hand to Innisfail’s needy.
On Aug. 15, the co-op's agro office east of town presented a cheque for $725 to the Innisfail and District Food Bank; an amount that was $40 higher than the $685 given last year to the agency.
And every little bit more the agency receives will help Innisfail’s disadvantaged as their numbers have grown this year.
“In the last six months we're actually up in numbers for the people we serve,” said Heather Taylor, a volunteer with the Innisfail food bank. “So, it is more families I think that are coming more than in previous years. I think that's just because of inflation.”
Taylor said her agency is experiencing a 20 per cent increase in demand for hampers this year over the same period in 2021. She said 165 more hampers were given out in 2022 than in 2021.
Taylor said the Innisfail food bank has also seen a 23 per cent increase in the total number of clients. She said there were 503 more citizens served in 2022 than in 2021.
As well, said Taylor, there was 111 new clients this year, up by 18 over 2021.
Fortunately for the food bank, Central Alberta Co-op has understood the need and has created a program that has benefited the Innisfail food bank for the past two years.
The co-op’s Grow Greener initiative is a program where $5 is donated from the sale of every $40 pail of lawn fertilizer to support a charity in the community. This is the second year of the program, and the co-op’s charity of choice is once again the Innisfail and District Food Bank.
“I remember last year they said with COVID there was a greater need for products at the food bank and they seemed very thankful, and so we chose to do that again,” said Roger Bratrud, agro/petro manager at the company's Innisfail Agro office east of town just off Highway 590.
And Taylor quickly acknowledged the funds from the co-op’s Grow Greener program that will help others could not have come at a better time of year.
“This is very nice and good timing because kids go back to school soon,” said Taylor. “We try to help the families a little more with lunch food, like in their hampers that we can adjust.”
