Glenboro Community Aims to Establish a Food Security Program

BRANDON, MB10.07.20–The community of Glenboro is coming together to develop programming to address the need for healthy food.

Jim Rediger, Westoba President and CEO said Westoba’s involvement in this initiative is a direct result of staff recognizing need in their community and responding.

“In the spring of 2020, Westoba provided much needed financial support to the food banks and food security programs in our communities,“ said Rediger. “Our staff noticed there was a gap in services for Glenboro and took it upon themselves to do something about it.”

Glenboro Branch Manager, Marie Bodnarchuk has been the catalyst for this initiative united with Charlene Claeys-Godard from the Glenboro UCT. Together, they have put the wheels in motion to establish a food security program in Glenboro.

“We know our regions are already doing great things on the issue of food security,“said Bodnarchuk. “We distributed a questionnaire to other food banks in the area to collect information on how they are operating and to lay the foundation for a similar program in Glenboro.

“ The program is still in the initial planning stage,but local support has already started coming in. Tracy Rimmer of Rimmer Technology Partners has agreed to provide space for program delivery at their 504 Railway Avenue location in Glenboro. “The owners and staff of Rimmer Technology Partners are devoted to seeing their communities not only survive but thrive,“said Rimmer. “For us, people going to bed hungry, having to choose to pay bills over buying groceries to feed their families, should not happen in a country as rich and diverse as Canada. Especially rural Canada, where agriculture is such a mainstay of our economy.We are pleased to be able to provide space for this important program.

” A virtual community meeting to discuss the program and to recruit volunteers and resources will be held on Tuesday, October 20th via Microsoft Teams.

“Everyone deserves access to healthy food” said Marie Bodnarchuk. “With respect for COVID distancing recommendations, we are asking the community to join us virtually to review the plans for this local food security program and find out more about how you can get involved whether it’s by giving your time or financial resources.”

Those interested in attending the meeting are asked to email karen.burton@westoba.comto RSVP and receive a URL link to the meeting.