The Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre logged its busiest month on record in August, with roughly 26,000 people accessing its services, even as construction continues on a new purpose-built facility meant to consolidate its operations.
Laurie O’Connor, executive director of the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre, said the organization has watched demand climb steadily over the past five years, but the jump past the 26,000 mark still caught staff off guard. O’Connor said the organization hopes the August total proves to be a one-time spike, though past experience suggests that once a new peak is reached, demand tends to keep rising rather than fall back.
Despite the surge, the food bank says it has not turned anyone away. O’Connor said the organization plans for between 400 and 600 hampers to go out each day and works to keep enough food on hand to meet that need, purchasing supplies when donations fall short of demand. Children have also become a more common presence among those relying on the food bank’s services.
New Facility Takes Shape
The rise in demand comes as the organization works toward moving into a new home. Crews are currently building a new food bank and learning centre on Avenue P that will bring the organization’s operations together under a single roof. Workers are aiming to finish the building’s exterior walls by the end of October before shifting focus to interior work, with the full project expected to be completed in September 2027.
Corporate and Community Support
The Dakota Dunes Community Development Corporation is contributing $200,000 to the project through the Nutrien Plant Possibility Capital Campaign. STC Tribal Chief Mark Arcand, who chairs the Dakota Dunes Community Development Corporation, said the funding is meant to support the construction effort directly. Arcand also called on other organizations and companies — Indigenous, Métis and non-Indigenous alike — to contribute to the campaign, saying the Dakota Dunes group hopes to set an example for others to follow.
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