“ I had put the box up , I went to work , and when I came home the box was empty .”
livingtalk
Feed the Need boxes can be found at the following locations :
1123 11 St . S . 428 13 St . S . 1010 20 St . N .
LETHBRIDGE : 66 Stafford Rd . N . 501 13 St . N .
– Miz City Church
PICTURE BUTTE : 603 Rogers Ave .
FORT MACLEOD : 206 24 St .
– Bloem Floral Designs
94 Mt . Blakiston Rd . W .
For more information , to donate , or to host a box contact Amanda Bauer at feedtheneedleth @ gmail . com or visit facebook . com / Lethbridgefeedtheneed .
According to the 2016 Alberta Point-in-Time Homeless Count that measures homelessness in Alberta ’ s urban centres , Lethbridge ’ s homeless population was 89 , and a 2015 report from Vibrant Lethbridge , an initiative of the City of Lethbridge Community and Social Development Committee , indicates that 12 per cent of the total population are considered to be living below the low-income measure , an international standard for comparing poverty rates in different countries . The report also states that Lethbridge has the highest level of child poverty in the province with one in five children affected .
“ The social services organizations in town , such as the food bank , do the best they can , and we ’ re not trying to take anything away from them ,” says Amanda . “ We just want to be another option .”
Amanda indicates that community buy-in has been essential to the early success of the program , and that Feed the Need strives to make it easy for people who host the boxes . “ We will build the box and will come and place it for you , and make sure it ’ s secure . We always try to bring the first round of donations to fill the box . All we ask is that you check on the box once or twice a day . It ’ s as low commitment as a person wants it to be .”
In addition to volunteers who host the boxes at their homes , several businesses have also jumped on board . Home Depot has donated materials to build the boxes , and TNR Roofing shingles every box . As well , Avon recently donated more than 150 deodorants and soaps , and Amanda says they are working with Urban Grocer on a program to provide fresh bread : “ The idea came from a person in the community who came to me and asked if she could put bread in the box , but we can only accept non-perishable items . She spoke to the Urban Grocer and came back with
“ I had put the box up , I went to work , and when I came home the box was empty .”
the idea of a buy-a-loaf program where someone can buy a loaf of bread [ at Urban Grocer ] and I put a coupon [ for it ] in the box . Then someone can take [ the coupon ] and go pick it up at the store .” Urban Grocer staff also ensure that there is at least one loaf available for pick up at all times , so no one goes away without .
Amanda hopes the program , beyond providing essentials to those in need , can break down barriers between the haves and have-nots . “ It ’ s about showing that we are a community and we have to help everyone no matter what their circumstances are , that we can ’ t turn a blind eye and ignore these issues .”
“[ We would also like ] to get the community [ that lives ] around the [ boxes ] involved ,” she adds . “ I have a box on Stafford Road North , and the homeowners took flyers and handed them out [ to neighbours ] letting people know it was there . Those are the kinds of things homeowners can do .”
While the program is currently active in the Lethbridge area , Amanda indicates she ’ s open to working with people across the province who are interested in setting up their own boxes . “ For me there are no boundaries on this . If someone else in another community wants to take this on , we ’ ll send them the building plans and give them advice to get them started . I don ’ t see why there would be any borders .”
She also says doing good for others has made a difference in her own life : “ When I started this project I was in a bad place , and this was the catalyst to get me out of it . It has helped people and it ’ s changed me for the better . I think I ’ ve taken more from this project than I could ever give back . I can ’ t say enough about just taking some time out of your own life to do something for someone else . It ’ s the best soul food .”
LETHBRIDGELIVING . COM JAN-FEB 2017 17