A committee has been formed in Lampman to bring a food bank to the town.
Representatives of the Lampman Family Centre, Browning 4-H Club, Lampman Public Library, Lampman School Community Council, Lampman Recreation and Lampman branch of the Royal Canadian Legion have come together because of the downturn in the economy.
They believe some individuals and families in the community could have difficulty providing basic needs.
They are asking that if someone would like access to the food bank, or have a hamper delivered to their home each week, to fill out a form and drop it off in an envelope at the grocery store or the town office in the black mail box, and say it is for the food bank. All names will be kept confidential.
If the committee knows of an individual or family in Lampman area who might need their help, they are asked to send an email to lampmanfoodbank@gmail.com.
“We just thought there would probably be a need out there, and the last thing we would want is to find out later that people needed stuff and they couldn’t get it, just because they didn’t ask,” said Maureen Ulrich, who is part of the food bank committee.
Committee members have seen the Lampman Lions Club do food hampers at Christmas time in the past, so they thought it was time to see if anyone needed help.
There has been an area in Lampman where people in need could pick up food, first at the town’s rink and now at the town office. But it hasn’t been used much since the move to the town office. Those food banks had non-perishable food items such as pasta, canned goods and sauces, to go with toiletries.
“Sometimes we would go to the rink and it would be empty. How long has it been empty? This is just an easier way of figuring out when we need to restock so we can keep the supply consistent.”
People from the family centre and the library were working together to keep the food bank stocked. Adding the other organization has allowed it to be a co-ordinated effort.
“Everyone is so willing to help. Gerry’s Store, we talked to them about taking in some of the forms and once we know how much we need and who needs it, we’ll set up a process whereby people can just walk into the store and pick up some extra canned goods, drop them in a box for the food bank, or maybe make a cash donation.”
Flyers have been sent out to the community so people know who to contact if they need assistance or want to support the food bank.
Ulrich said the committee would like to be able to drop off a hamper once a week, so that people don’t have to come in.
“We can tailor it to what you need, what are your allergies, what do you need as far as non-perishables,” said Ulrich.
The hampers would also be able to provide items such as toiletries, or even sanitizer or diapers or baby formula, since those items that can become expensive or difficult to get.
And they talked a lot about seniors and their needs, and being able to cater to them so they don’t have to worry about going out to shop during the pandemic.
“We will certainly be looking for donations, but at the moment, we’re not, though. What we’re looking for is people. There’s no point in asking people for a lot of items if there isn’t a need. We sense the need is there.”
