Wood Buffalo Food Bank Hopes to Re-Open Next Week

A small crew of five is working to get the Wood Buffalo Food Bank up and running, unfortunately that process involves the destruction of thousands of pounds of food as anything not in a can needs to be thrown out.

Executive Director Arianna Johnson and her workers arrived in Fort McMurray Friday.

“We stopped at the Food Bank and the smell was very unpleasant unfortunately it looks like our power was out for about seven days,” said Johnson. “So that means that both our walk-in fridge and walk-in freezer both [need to] have everything destroyed.”

The cleaning process is expected to take days still, and while Johnson wanted to open her doors on Jun. 1, the first day of voluntary re-entry, that simply won’t be possible.

“We’re probably looking more like June sixth,” she said. “My commitment is that we’ll be open as soon as physically possible once the food bank passes inspection food can be here in 24 hours. We have the food in Leduc, we have transport waiting and we have the support of industry.”

The Alberta Food Banks has secured a 30,000 square foot warehouse in Leduc. Food from there will be brought to Fort McMurray items will also be brought to other Food Bank locations that have been supporting evacuees displaced across Alberta.

The Food Bank will shift its services to allow quicker and easier access to evacuees returning to Fort McMurray who may be struggling.

“There’s going to be a short-form application, […] you will require your Red Cross or [evacuation centre registration number] and you’ll get a weeks’ worth of food,” said Johnson. “So you’ll get a smaller hamper, what it will have in it we’re still working on, because that’s a logistics thing.”

You’ll be able to collect a new hamper weekly until September and use as needed, Johnson hopes lineups won’t be too long. The hamper contents will depend on what kind of perishables are quickly sent to McMurray, but the Food Bank hopes to provide everyone with staples like milk and break.

With just five workers Johnson is looking for a little bit of help, anyone in Fort McMurray as an essential services worker with a bit of spare time can volunteer at the food bank from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. helping throw out good.