In a small building near downtown Hay River, a group of volunteers is fighting food insecurity one meal at a time.
Many different dishes, including Shake and Bake chicken with vegetables, sausage and noodle casserole and piles of bannock, fill the space three days a week.
The Hay River Soup Kitchen – feeding people facing hard times for more than two decades – is trying to accommodate increased demand as citizens grapple with the rising costs of food and other difficulties.
According to Michele Stephens, president of the Hay River Soup Kitchen, demand for food assistance initially began climbing after the 2019 Mackenzie Place highrise fire displaced about 150 residents, “and it’s never really decreased.”
The Covid-19 pandemic caused a further surge in demand for food assistance, “and then, of course, we had the floods,” she said.
“It’s just been one thing after another,” continued Stephens. “The numbers are high, the price of food in town is high and there’s hardship on people.”
The Hay River-K’atl’odeeche First Nation wildfire in May briefly disrupted service at the soup kitchen. When the evacuation order was issued, Stephens helped save perishable foodstuffs, towing them to safety in coolers, “but we’ve replenished, refilled and started again,” she said.
After the hectic event, Stephens said she’s “ready for a great big pile of boring.”
The soup kitchen serves close to 130 people every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, she said.
The increased numbers reflect the national situation as inflation has Canada’s food banks straining under historically high demand that crested at almost 1.5 million visits in March 2022 – up 35 per cent compared to pre-pandemic visits during the same month in 2019, according to a report from Food Banks Canada.
The soup kitchen is “always looking for donations,” said Stephens, “because money is tight, people are hungry and that doesn’t change.”
The facility accepts both perishable and non-perishable items, in addition to clothing and hygiene products. It also oversees the community’s food hamper program, in partnership with St. Andrew’s Anglican Church.
Donations can be dropped off at the soup kitchen, located at 67 Woodland Drive, next to Aurora Ford Hay River.
In addition, the institution is also “always looking for volunteers,” said Stephens.
All are welcome, no questions asked, though there is a particular decree to follow.
“We have one rule at soup kitchen,” said Stephens. “You need to be respectful. There’s no screening. There’s no registration, there’s none of that. If you come and you’re hungry, you will be fed, provided you’re respectful.
In addition, to feeding the hungry, the non-profit organization has also been helping to protect and inform the public about opioid-related harms. In July, the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority hosted a Naloxone information session at the soup kitchen, where kits remain available for those in need.
“We educated a lot of people and gave out a lot of kits and supplies,” said Stephens.
