REGINA - For most Wednesdays of the year, volunteers work with the Regina Education and Action on Community Hunger (REACH) to pack nutritious food that is cheaper than regular grocery prices as part of their Good Food Box program.
Matt Leisle, executive director of REACH, said the program 'has been running for over 20 years [now]."
At the time, he mentioned that other cities were running similar programs. REACH themselves were more focused on addressing child hunger when the organization was first created, said Leisle.
However, he noted REACH "found out quickly that you cannot address child hunger unless you're addressing, you know, the families in the community around them." So, the group wanted a way to get affordable produce out to the community, and that is how the program was born.
The way the program works is a resident can order their food box on REACH's website once every two weeks. There are four different options to choose from, ranging from small to fruit deluxe. For pricing, the cheapest box is $15 [CAD], while the most expensive one is $25.
As Leisle noted, each box will "have lettuce, potatoes, apples, oranges and bananas, which are more standard items. There could also be one to six other fruits or vegetables depending on said size.
Along with the primary boxes, REACH offers add-ons as well. These include the pantry pack, breakfast box, and very veggie and fun fruit.
In total, the costs of the items are roughly 35 to 50 per cent off the normal price found at a grocery store. While Leisle couldn’t give an exact number for the amount people or families save from the boxes, he guessed it's likely around $25 if they were to purchase two boxes in a month.
After the boxes are packed, they will be delivered to depots across the city, which include branches of the Regina Public Library (RPL), the Al Ritchie Community Association and the University of Regina.
REACH also offers a Family Basket for those on Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) and Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID).
The group will give one or two boxes to a family every month, which are $30 each. Included in the baskets are "fresh produce, milk, eggs, bread, and some other healthy items in there as well," said Leisle.
None of this work could be done without the volunteers, he said. Last year alone, the organization had over 200 volunteers working in various roles. "We have many volunteers that are either at those pickup locations [and] working with that. We [also] have volunteers that come in to help us package some of the food." Some volunteers who helps package the Good Food Boxes have been doing it for 20 years now, Leisle mentioned.
REACH also works with Campbell Collegiate and Winston Knoll Collegiate through their Functional Integrated Academic Programs (FIAP), where students will volunteer a few times a month for the organization.
The rise of food insecurity
Leisle said there has been an increase in demand for food with REACH, but those numbers aren’t as much as people expect.
He pointed out the reason for that is "we have a cost associated with all our programs. And that's the position we're [currently] in."
Leisle also mentioned that REACH is trying to be a bridge for people to either avoid using emergency sources or transition away from going to traditional stores.
Even with the savings residents get from programs like the family basket, Leisle said, "even $30 a box is a significant hurdle for a lot of people out there that are on social assistance. He also mentioned the cheapest Good Food Box, which is $15, can sometimes be a barrier for people.
He believes with the rising costs, more people in the community are seeking out ways they can save on groceries or buy more affordable food.
Leisle was asked if REACH would consider reducing their costs on boxes or even become a non-profit group.
He responded by saying, "we want to fill a gap that's in the community but not overlap with what's already there." Leisle added, "So we know there's organizations like the [Regina] Food Bank, Carmichael [Outreach], Souls Harbour, Guru Nanak [Free Kitchen] that are very important and very essential to the community and very needed services. But we don't want to have them do what they're good at, and we're going to do something a bit different that we're good at."
