Winnipeg Harvest Visit: Make Manitoba Hunger Free

1) What did I learn about Winnipeg Harvest?

-I learned that Winnipeg Harvest has a big part in helping feed many people all around Canada. About 56000 people use Winnipeg Harvest every month and half the people under the age of 18 use food banks because they may need food or money for medical needs. 80 child care agencies are connected with Winnipeg Harvest, along with many stores, schools, and companies. If food stopped coming in, Winnipeg Harvest would be out of a food in a week!

2) Who does Winnipeg Harvest Help?

-Winnipeg Harvest helps anyone who needs them, really. They help children in child care agencies, people who go to food banks, schools, and anyone who calls and asks for their help. Winnipeg Harvest gives out about 5500 basic nutrition kits every week, and about 1000 a day. (These kits contain food from all the food groups.) Basically, Winnipeg Harvest helps anyone and everyone who needs them, and focuses on the health of children.

3) Where does Winnipeg Harvest get the food it supplies to its users?

-Winnipeg Harvest has many connections throughout Canada that help with the process of bringing food in and bringing it to where it's needed. Many stores, food banks, businesses companies and schools help Winnipeg Harvest. Some examples are bakeries, Sobey's, and donations from the public. (Safeway and Superstore have bins where you can drop off food).

4) What are the top 10 items needed in Winnipeg Harvest?

-The top 10 items needed in Winnipeg Harvest are:

Canned fish and poultry
Canned fruit and vegetables
Canned stew, chili, brown beans
Peanut Butter (light)
Baby Food
Whole grain pasta/whole wheat pasta
Rice
Canned spaghetti sauce or tomatoes
Cereal
Canned soup

5) When you volunteered what do you remember about your job?

-When I volunteered, we washed out bins so food could be taken to the places it needed to be. Sure it was wet and messy and I might have fallen into one of the bins, but it was fun. We also sorted pasta. This is a lot harder than it looks. There were thousands of different types of pastas, and it took a lot of effort and cooperation, but in the end, it too, was fun and worthwhile. Every job in Winnipeg Harvest has a reason and an important role, and I was glad to help out.