Moose Jaw’s food bank pushed to reduce services due to high demand

The Moose Jaw Food bank will be limiting visits to once a month as they adjust to the growing demand and limited supply. Sierra D’Souza Butts has the story.

The Moose Jaw & District Food Bank is being pushed to reduce its services due to ongoing food supply constraints.

Beginning April 1, visitors will only be allowed to visit the food bank once as opposed to twice a month. The amount of food given to individuals and families will also be adjusted, in addition to some home screenings to ensure there is enough food for all people in need.

“Our resources just haven’t kept pace with the demand. Food donations haven’t decreased, they’ve been steady for about four years,” explained Jason Moore, executive director of the Moose Jaw & District Food Bank.

“With 150 per cent increase in usage it’s the resources aren’t keeping pace. The math is broken and something needed to be done internally to fix that.”

About three or four years ago, Moore said the food bank supported about 300 households. Now that number is closer to 1,000.

The decision to make cuts was not made lightly but was necessary to allow the food bank to be sustainable, he added.

“This is an issue that goes beyond just an increase in donations. Our community has been incredibly generous. For 40 years, they’ve sustained our organization,” Moore said.

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“To expect a community this size to be able to continue to donate more and more to keep up with this demand I think is unreasonable. I think what we’re asking now is our community to reach out to all levels of government.”

Before becoming a volunteer, Darla Pridgeon turned to the food bank for help.

“I couldn’t afford it. I couldn’t afford food,” Pridgeon said emotionally.

About a year later, Pridgeon continues to see people in similar positions to her own.

“When they ask for certain things we don’t have, that’s really the low ball right there and you don’t know what to say,” she said. “Then they walk away disappointed and they’re trying to figure out where they’re going to get the next meal.”

Last year, the Government of Saskatchewan provided $1 million to food banks across the province as part of its 2025-26 budget. However, the funding was not included in this year’s 2026-27 budget.

In response, the Saskatchewan NDP is calling on the provincial government to continue its funding directly for food banks.

“We want to see that funding reinstated. Things are not getting less expensive and demand is continuing to grow on food banks,” NDP MLA Brittney Senger told reporters Wednesday morning.

“It’s time for this government to step up and to reinstate that funding to support people that need help the most.”

When the matter was brought up during legislative proceedings on Wednesday, Minister of Social Services Terry Jenson said the government announced $2.5 billion in affordability measures in its 2026-2027 budget.

“With regards to the food bank, Mr. Speaker, that was a two year $2 million commitment that this government made to help the food banks out during a time of unprecedented inflation, when inflation was six, seven, eight per cent,” Jenson said.

“This year’s budget has targeted increases in a number of areas, including the low-income tax credit, doubling of the active families benefit, increasing the disability tax credit and removing another 54,000 people off the tax rolls.”

In the meantime, the Moose Jaw & District Food Bank said it will have to find solutions of its own to be sustainable.

“If suddenly, resources were made available to us, if donations increased dramatically, then we could look at moving back right away to how things were,” Moore said.

“I think for there to be lasting change, for it to be a sustainable situation, I think we just need to see systemic change. The government stepping up and doing something.”