Volunteers needed at Harvest Manitoba as number of new food bank users climbs

On Friday, CBC Manitoba hosted a day of live events to raise money for Harvest Manitoba. Donations are still welcome. To donate, you can drop off food items at Harvest Manitoba at 1085 Winnipeg Ave. or give online at HarvestManitoba.ca/CBC until the evening of Sunday, Dec. 5.

The charity responsible for feeding 80,000 Manitobans a month said it's concerned it won't have enough volunteers to deal with the demands of a growing number of food bank users.

Harvest Manitoba needs 100 volunteers at its Winnipeg warehouse every day, but right now is averaging fewer than 60 a day.

"Specifically in winter we need call centre people," said Snookie Vallejo-Tumlos, Harvest's volunteer supervisor.

"They can volunteer to drive a truck or just work in a warehouse. We can have reception [volunteers.] We have admin stuff that we need to do," she said. "It all depends on their abilities and the capabilities."

Vallejo-Tumlos said the food bank network's volunteer base plummeted when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Some have come back, especially since Harvest made vaccines for all volunteers mandatory in October.

But the numbers still haven't returned to what they were.

WATCH | More volunteers needed at Harvest Manitoba: 

Food bank scrambling to recruit enough volunteers to meet surging demand

3 years ago

Duration 2:36

Marina von Stackelberg reports from Harvest Manitoba, where about 60 volunteers are working every day, well short of the 100 who are needed.

The organization's warehouse sorts through nearly five million kilograms (11 million pounds) of food a year, distributing it to 325 different food banks and other agencies across the province.

Harvest says for the first time, it's seen a spike in recent months in the number of people signing up to use the food bank.

It now needs groups of volunteers to come back from places like schools, clubs and businesses.

Dee dela Cruz volunteers with her co-workers at PayWorks, which gives its employees certain days to make contributions to their community.

"I've been privileged to always have food on the table, a roof over my head, and I know that people fall on hard times and there's so many reasons why maybe they can't [pay for food]," she said.

Harvest volunteer co-ordinator Margo Jesso first came to the organization a few years ago as someone who needed the food bank, after leaving a violent relationship.

"I happen to live not far from Harvest, and not a lot of other places were taking volunteers. I've also accessed the services at Harvest because I was on … [employment income assistance], so I decided to give my time and volunteer here," she said.

Jesso has just been hired on as a staff member.

"It is the most positive, upbeat, amazing place."

Many of the volunteers and staff are, like her, past or present food bank users who are now giving back to the charity that helped them, said Jesso.

It also gives them a chance to build skills, whether learning English or socializing with new people.

"We've all come from different walks and different reasons why we we're struggling in life or whatnot," she said.

Volunteers also have a chance to build relationships with the people they are helping.

That's been the case for Tanvir Alam, who has been coming to the Grace Christian Church food bank for years. 

He's deaf and started communicating with volunteers using his phone.

"I lost [my] job about four years ago. And also COVID 19 this year can't find job," Alam wrote in a text interview with CBC.

Now, he has started teaching volunteers sign language.

"I am inspired they're learning sign language," he wrote. "It's easy to teach them words. Like food, bread, and meat."