Jayda Noyes, Daily Herald
Hundreds of struggling Prince Albert families will soon have a staple, nutritious spread to dig into.
Thanks to Ward 1 Coun. Charlene Miller, with the help of unions across the city, the Food Bank has 500 jars of peanut butter to feed some hungry stomachs.
Operations Manager Kerry Ramsdell came to the Lake Country Co-op Food Store Tuesday morning to collect the donation.
She said peanut butter is at the top of the list for items to donate because of its versatility, high protein and nutrients.
“If you don’t have meat to put on your sandwich, at least you can have a peanut butter sandwich which will fill you up a little more,” she said. “There’s a lot of kids out there that are gonna actually have something for breakfast or just any kind of staple.”
Miller, who spearheaded the donation, has done this twice before.
It all started with a social media post.
“I saw on Facebook that the shelves were bare. The Food Bank put something on Facebook and I decided well, it’s time to do something about that,” said Miller.
The topic pulls at her heartstrings thinking about when she had growing children.
“We struggled and I didn’t participate in the Food Bank but I was very close to it, and so that’s why I do it,” she said.
The stack of peanut butter jars is worth about $3600.
It was achievable through unions such as the CUPE Local 5430, the largest health care union in Saskatchewan.
Verna Friesen, regional Vice-President for Parkland, said Miller is also a CUPE member, working in dietary for the Victoria Hospital.
“We’ve got to know each other quite well. Councillor Miller has come to us for the last two or three years for a donation from us for peanut butter and we’re happy to donate because it is something for the community and for the children and it’s very near and dear to Coun. Miller’s heart to feed these little children peanut butter,” she said.
The Prince Albert Firefighter’s Charity also pitched in, said member David MacAuley.
“We just know what it’s like for people in the community to struggle and not everybody can afford the basic essentials so we wanted to do our part to help out,” he noted after loading peanut butter into the Food Bank’s truck.
The 500 jars will be distributed into hampers for the next one to two weeks.
Donations can be made through www.pafoodbank.ca and the Food Bank recommends pasta, oatmeal, juice, soup and crackers for other non-perishable contributions.
