Carol Baldwin
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Wakaw Recorder
Good Neighbours Food Centre is searching for a new Executive Director.
Betty Rudachyk has filled that role since mid-2022 but due to a recent diagnosis of a constraining health condition, said she needed to focus on herself and step away from the position.
She said having to step away makes her teary.
“It is a position I have held very dear to my being and soul,” she said.
Rudachyk dedicated herself to caring for others, implementing new ideas that broke barriers people felt about accessing assistance. A heartfelt appreciation from everyone at the Centre was shared on GNFC’s Facebook page.
“She has given warmth and a welcoming smile to all and been an amazing part of Good Neighbours Food Centre,” reads the post. “Thanks to her capable and innovative direction, GNFC has become a leader among the food banks in this province! We are so grateful for all you have done for us and will miss you greatly!”
Talking with Betty she shared, “Many donors over the last couple of years have shared, quietly, that there had been a pocket of time in their lives when poverty and financial struggles led them to access government funding through social services, family support services, or they have even accessed a food bank and then tell their story of that experience. I have been grateful and honoured, that people have shared some of those stories with me as they brought their donations and support for our organization.”
“I think about so many lives that have been impacted and I think, it is a conversation that is important to have. We all have pride, and we don’t like to be vulnerable. We don’t like people to see that vulnerability or struggle, but there is value in owning our humility and owning how that humility in our life has inspired us to be caring community members who can say, ‘I know that people need food, I know that kids need to be fed, and I’m grateful that there’s an organization that takes this on and ensures that this is a place of welcome, hospitality, grace, goodness, and respect and that people can come and just be given hope in that warm reception.’”
The new Executive Director will be learning their new job during an extremely busy time. Rudachyk’s desire and using her words, plea, is that the Christmas campaign not be negatively impacted by this transition, because she knows what the organization needs money-wise to continue its operations and Christmas time is when the organization receives its most financial donations. “We are leaning now into the Christmas season and that campaign involves trying to engage communities, individuals, businesses, and community groups and communicating with them that we have a need and that if people need some charitable donations before year-end for tax purposes, they can support this local food security organization. We hope and pray that people will respond to that so that we can continue to do what we do here meeting the needs of so many people, 47 percent of which are children.”
From 2022 to 2023, Food Banks of Saskatchewan saw a 37 percent increase in usage, with 40 percent of the people who access food bank services being youth under 18. Alberta and Saskatchewan consistently have amongst the highest food bank use rates, and Saskatchewan residents along with community leaders, say that poverty is deepening in Saskatchewan pushing more families into food insecurity. Food insecurity is the inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints. It is a serious public health problem, a marker of pervasive material deprivation, and a matter of public policy.
Authors of a new data set published in April 2024, by PROOF, an interdisciplinary research program studying effective policy approaches to reduce the public health problem of household food insecurity, state, “The persistently high prevalence of household food insecurity across Canada highlights the need for more effective, evidence-based policy responses by federal and provincial governments.”
According to the data, 53 percent of Canadians are concerned about being unable to feed their family. The percentage of people living in severely food-insecure households varies from province to province. Severe food insecurity is determined to occur when people miss meals, reduce food intake, and at the most extreme go day(s) without food.
In Saskatchewan, in 2023, 28 percent of residents live in severe food-insecure households, a significant increase over the 20.3 percent reported in 2022, and nearly 11 percent higher than five years previously.
Many of the volunteers at GNFC are getting older and it would be beneficial to have a few younger volunteers to take over some of the heavier tasks, but, Operations Manager, Chanda Viczko, says that it would be especially helpful if some people were willing to have their names added to a ‘spare’ list… people who could be called upon when there is some extra work to do or if one day some of the regular volunteers are unable for personal reasons to come in. That being said, Rudachyk and Viczko are both proud of their volunteers who continue providing food aid to those in need. Judging by the need they have seen throughout the year, the need at Christmas this year is expected to continue to be high.
“As a cluster of communities in this area,” Rudachyk said, “we need to be proud this organization exists and is committed to that purpose [of assisting those experiencing household food insecurity], and as individuals, we just keep hoping that hearts will be inspired to direct any excess funds to GNFC, or that for people needing a charitable donation and tax receipts for that donation, the GNFC would be a place people would consider.
“Between now and Christmas, our organization needs everyone to step up and not forget about GNFC, in fact, put it at the top of the list when it comes to deciding where to give those charitable donation dollars while we are transitioning to a new leadership team.
“Now, more than ever, we at GNFC, need your help to feed families in our area!”
