Feed Nova Scotia cancels traditional Christmas programs, hopes new fund will reach more people

As food costs rise and lines at food banks become longer in every corner of the province, the umbrella organization that supports them is cancelling its traditional Christmas programming and redistributing the money in a more equitable manner.

For around 30 years, Feed Nova Scotia ran a Christmas registry and provided food and funds to support Christmas programs like turkey dinner hampers for people who couldn't afford to put a meal on the table.

But Ash Avery, the charity's executive director, says most of the aid was going to Halifax, and smaller towns were left out. 

"We consulted with our member network, the communities we serve, and it became clear that the Christmas registry wasn't the most impactful or resource-efficient way to help people throughout Nova Scotia," Avery told CBC News. 

Avery said a new, $450,000 holiday fund has been distributed to all 140 member agencies to use for the special occasions that matter to their clients — not just Christmas. 

The new fund allows Feed Nova Scotia to give more while saving on overhead costs associated with the Christmas registry.

"It was costing upwards of $400,000, it was taking seven full-time contract staff ... just to be able to serve this community here in the [Halifax] inner city," she said.

"So by giving funds directly to the agencies that serve their communities, we're cutting out a lot of the overhead expenses that come with assembling hampers and distributing them to people."

The amount of funding each organization receives is determined by the type of service they provide and the number of people they serve.

New funding could help meet soaring demand

In Liverpool, on the province's South Shore, Shelly Panczyk is already buying turkeys, preparing for the busy holiday season at the Queens County Food Bank.

Panczyk, the chair of the organization, said the food bank is now supporting 65 families a week, more than double the amount in years past. 

"You're getting more of the working people coming because they can't afford to pay rent, to pay their other utilities and try to feed, especially if you got children, you just can't do it," she said. 

Panczyk said she received the money from the Holiday Fund in July, and will use it to fill Christmas hampers and stockings for children. She said the money will allow the food bank to provide "extra" this year. 

In Hants County, food insecurity is also through the roof, according to Ashley Hingley, chair and president of the Windsor and District Matthew 25 Food Bank. Hingley said the organization is experiencing triple the demand, serving upwards of 600 families a month.

Because of this, the food bank has had to cut down the size of its holiday hampers from three meals to one, and can sometimes only afford to provide chickens instead of turkeys. 

She thinks the new holiday funding will help keep the food bank afloat. 

"To tell you the truth, because of the price of food right now, I'm not sure that money is going to go very far," she said. "But it's definitely more than what we had before, so that's kind of nice to know that we have a little bit of a backup."

Both Panczyk and Hingley said their communities are becoming more diverse, but the demand for their Christmas programs is still very high. 

Demographics changing in Halifax

The Brunswick Street Mission in Halifax has done away with turkey dinners entirely, as it's seeing more diverse and complex needs at their food bank.

Executive director Lisa Harrison said anecdotally, around 40 per cent of the food bank's clientele don't celebrate Christmas.

"I think that any sort of Christmassy type stuff can create a bit of a boundary to people who maybe aren't Christian," Harrison said.

She also said homeless people are the largest and fastest-growing demographic the mission serves, so she plans to use the new funding to provide more survival kits during the holidays, filled with items like socks, batteries and gift cards. 

"People always need more supplies at Christmas," she said. "A lot of people are unhoused, often their stuff becomes ruined by the weather or gets stolen or lost. So it's about trying to keep those people healthy and alive throughout the winter."