Food equity service Everyone Eats shutting down

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/05/2022 (1461 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The food equity program Everyone Eats will serve its last meals in Westman on May 27.

Everyone Eats was conceived by the John Howard Society of Brandon as a pandemic relief program designed to provide food security for Westman residents. The pay-what-you-can service is organized by the Brandon Food Council.

Everyone Eats Brandon co-ordinator Sarah Shannon has worn many hats at the program, as a volunteer and employee.

She said she has seen people from various financial backgrounds unable to pay for food.

“Even people who are working full-time. Even people who are barely keeping their head afloat and still working full-time, still can’t afford food.”

She first became involved with Everyone Eats while recovering from a traumatic brain injury and while being supported by Employment and Income Assistance. She began ordering meals as a critical resource in a time of need.

In March 2021, she started volunteering with the organization as she prepared to re-enter the workforce.

In August, she was named Brandon co-ordinator.

“This is the first opportunity I’ve ever had like this, so it’s been pretty exciting. It’s changed the course of direction in my life,” Shannon said, explaining how her time with the organization has sparked a passion for social work.

She enjoyed getting to know clients and the conversations they had during each food service.

“A lot of the clients, especially the clients who aren’t able to access the internet and order online, they call because they don’t have that many people to talk to, so being able to spend even 10 minutes talking to some of the clients just seems to be a helpful thing for them.”

During these chats, Shannon would share key supports and resources in the community, as many clients were new to the area and did not always know what was available.

Everyone Eats launched in May 2020 and has provided more than 43,000 meals, 19,000 of which were given for free. Meals cost $8 to produce and on average the initiative receives $6.85 from each meal purchase.

Meals were prepared and served out of the Prairie Oasis kitchen.

Service would begin around 2:30 p.m. and Shannon would help organize volunteers and meals. During a single supper, volunteers can dish out around 200 meals.

People often underestimate how big of an impact a program like Everyone Eats can have, Shannon said.

The service was initially designed as a pandemic relief program, said Ted Dzogan, co-founder of the program and chair of the John Howard Society of Brandon board.

Everyone Eats initially leveraged $8,000 to get the program going in May 2020. Federal funding was later awarded, allowing the program to reopen in August 2020. Now that the federal funding has been drained, there is not enough money to continue the service. It would cost around $150,000 to produce 24,000 to 26,000 meals.

Meals on Wheels will now serve as the primary food service out of Prairie Oasis, said executive director Amanda Fast.

Meals come at a flat rate of $11. It will be a different operation compared to Everyone Eats, because the pay-what-you-can model is not available. A fixed address is also needed to sign up for the program for invoices and deliveries.

Meals on Wheels has historically catered to seniors in the community, but the program has now been opened up to anyone. This can include clients living with disabilities or experiencing limited mobility.

Everyone Eats will be working with Meals on Wheels to change online ordering using software developed by the program.

Meals on Wheels is staffed by volunteers in the kitchen and on the road delivering meals.

The service runs on a client basis with consistent deliveries on chosen days, Fast said, but clients have the option of being “on-call” and requesting meals when they see something they like if they are on the list. Gift cards are also available.

Ross Robinson, co-founder of Everyone Eats and executive director of John Howard, remains proud of the program and the impact it has had on Westman.

“I’m excited that we were able to get through the entire pandemic effectively. That we were able to feed people when unemployment was a big concern during the pandemic,” Robinson said.

One of the biggest eye-openers of the program has been the vast quantity of food available that can be accessed through food rescue.

“Even though Everyone Eats is closing, we still encourage people to get out and if they haven’t tried what Prairie Oasis produces out of Everyone Eats, now is your opportunity,” Robinson said. “We’re so very proud to be partnered with them to the end of the month.”

» ckemp@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp