Policy change stresses food banks

A food security volunteer expects some food banks will close in rural Westman and others will require extra support because of upcoming policy changes from Food Banks Canada.

An upcoming deadline to become accredited with Food Banks Canada is approaching for March 2026. The long process to become accredited, and the rules surrounding accreditation, are slated to hurt food banks in the region, said volunteer Ted Dzogan.

“We’ll see both of these things happen: Some rural food banks will close, and those communities will be worse off for it,” he said. “Others will require extra support that they’re not currently getting, and we will do everything we can to support them.”

Dzogan helps run Brandon’s Food Rescue Grocery Store. He partners in that role with food banks all over Westman to connect food banks with supplies when available through various supply chains.

The volunteer said his concern surrounds grant money. Westman food banks are put in an either-or situation by new standards, he said, where the food banks must forfeit some food donations from their communities in order to gain access to grant opportunities.

Food Banks Canada’s food safety standards for accreditation say a food bank cannot accept community garden produce unless the food bank can establish itself as equipped for “high-risk” control. In order to achieve that designation, rural Westman food banks would need facilities like a commercial kitchen should it do any rinsing, thawing, cooking, processing and other high-risk food activities.

“It effectively means that every single rural food bank is out on community gardens. They can’t do it, and that’s just wrong,” he said. “It costs $100,000 minimum to have a commercial kitchen.”

Rural food banks are often volunteer-run, using whatever available facilities the community can offer, he said. Few have access to facilities that would be required to also accept produce.

Cutting off produce would cut off a major source of support in Westman, he said.

“That would cut off all Hutterite colonies from donating,” he said. “I do not think the average Manitoban understands how much colonies contribute to the well-being of the community outside of the colony, and these rules are effectively written to push them out.”

Mark Hofer, a Hutterite out of Green Acres Colony, told the Sun that he plants extra potatoes, onions and carrots to donate every year. A lot of produce goes to Brandon, he said, with a value of about $20,000 annually.

“Without the colonies making lunches and providing food, and making meals, and doing all that good stuff, it would hard for so many people,” he said. “Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people would starve.”

Hofer, and his son Ryan, told the Sun on Thursday they understand the new policies are well-intentioned to ensure food is safe. But they believe that some work should be done to find a solution that allows community donations to continue.

“Maybe with a little bit of care and awareness, and spreading the word, this might potentially have impacts. Maybe with some better care … it could be easily prevented, or it wouldn’t be as bad or mitigated,” Ryan said.

Mark said that he would like to see a big cooler housed somewhere in Brandon because there is not enough room to store all the food the colony brings.

“I know there will just be hungry people in Brandon. I hate to see hungry people.”

Karen Fraser, a volunteer with the Boissevain Food Pantry, told the Sun the food bank does not plan on getting accredited.

“Right now, the rules are prohibitive to to us,” she said. “We get different things donated from the community that we would no longer be allowed to to accept. And those donations are, I wouldn’t say, vital, but are important to our running the food bank.”

She said that eggs and potatoes are donated from local farmers. Seniors that hobby garden end up donating a lot of food that they don’t need for themselves also, she said.

“The community wants to be involved. Why would we limit their involvement once they want to be involved?”

The Boissevain Food Pantry has been self-sufficient for the most part, and since they do not rely much on grant money, they will avoid the accreditation process, she said. That might change in the future, however.

Heather Symbalisty, executive director of Samaritan House Ministries, told the Sun that the Brandon food bank is pushing to get accredited before March.

The accreditation ensures Samaritan stays in a trusted position with Harvest Manitoba, which supplies a lot of food donations to Samaritan House, she said. The process will keep the local food bank’s food supply steady, and keep doors open.

“It allows us to remain part of the streamline of donations from Harvest Manitoba,” Symbalisty said. “It’s a reassurance that we are using the best practices for food handling.”

Symbalisty also said that the food bank wanted to keep doors open for potential grant money from Food Banks Canada. The Brandon food bank may need to replace its van soon, and that would benefit from grant access, she said.

Symablisty said she believes Samaritan House, as the second-biggest food bank in Manitoba, has a responsibility to meet high standards.

“Because we are on that larger scale I thought it was really important,” she said. “We serve a lot of people every day, and it’s important we do it.

“At the end of the day, it’s about the client, and the last thing we want to do is make anybody sick.”

Killarney Food Bank secretary Petchie Hawkins said the organization will try to get accredited, but does not know if that will be completed in time.

“Part of it is, the accreditation process will allow us to secure grants through Food Banks Canada, which, after March, we won’t be able to do if we’re not accredited, which, you know, kind of sucks,” she said.

The accreditation could help with grants towards mileage — as the food bank needs to pick up and deliver food, she said.

“We can’t just run down to, you know, Superstore and pick up a big donation, right? Because we’re 100 kilometers away, and all that costs money,” she said.

The food bank is self-sufficient and supported heavily by the community through donations and fundraisers, she said. But should the food bank need to replace a cooler, it would be nice to have access to grants, she said.

Dzogan said that, moving forward, rural food banks that run into issue due to the changes stemming from the March 2026 accreditation process should get in touch for extra assistance.

“I would volunteer that anyone struggling pick up the phone and give us a call,” Dzogan said.

He said that the Brandon Food Rescue Grocery Store will try to help, but that due to the high levels of food bank need in Canada, it might not be able to cover all needs.

“We will listen and we will try to help you. But I’m not telling you that we’re capable of just stepping in and filling that sort of a vacuum. This is a huge societal problem, right?”

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com