A $5,000 donation from Realeaf FN Cannabis will help the Prince Albert Food Bank keep its shelves stocked as demand continues to remain high.
Representatives from Realleaf presented the donation to the food bank on Friday, saying they wanted to support people facing food insecurity in Prince Albert.
Keegan Vance Thomas, who represented Realeaf at the presentation, said the business wanted to find a way to give back to the community.
“It’s not easy for some people in this city, and we recognize that,” Thomas said. “We just want to be able to help them out in any way we can.”
Thomas said the amount initially discussed was $1,000, but his manager decided to increase the contribution to $5,000.
Realeaf operates through a partnership with Sturgeon Lake Development, Thomas said. He said the donation was organized through Realeaf and Sturgeon Lake Development as a way to support people in the wider Prince Albert area.
Thomas said the group chose the Prince Albert Food Bank after hearing about the work it does and the number of people it serves.
“We heard about all the good this company does, and we just wanted to be able to help,” he said.
Thomas said he hopes the donation will not be a one-time contribution.
“I definitely see we’re gonna donate whenever we can, as much as we can, in the future,” he said.
Prince Albert Food Bank executive director Kim Scruby said the $5,000 will make an immediate difference.
“Oh, it’s a great donation for us,” Scruby said. “$5,000 goes a long way.”
Scruby said the money will be used to stock the food bank’s shelves and help make sure hampers continue to contain a good variety of food.
The food bank continues to distribute around 1,200 hampers each month, a level Scruby said has remained fairly consistent.
“We’ve been consistently doing about nine per cent of the population of Prince Albert every month,” he said.
The donation also comes as the food bank heads into the fall and the busier period leading up to Christmas.
Scruby said support from businesses in the surrounding region is important because the food bank also assists people from outside Prince Albert.
He said the donation will be put to use almost immediately.
“Monday,” Scruby said when asked how quickly it would reach the food bank’s clients. “Yeah, right away.”
“We’re really grateful for the support.”
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
