Day of Caring raises $1,614,755 for Regina, Saskatoon food banks

While people in Saskatchewan were stuck inside due to COVID-19, they opened their wallets to help provide meals for people in need.

During Rawlco Radio’s Day of Caring for the Regina and Saskatoon food banks, $1,614,755 was raised over the course of the day Tuesday.

“Unprecedented times call for unprecedented support and I think what we’ve been shown (Tuesday) is that Saskatoon and Regina really care about the work we do and about their friends and neighbours who might be struggling,” Saskatoon Food Bank CEO Laurie O’Connor said. “This is, quite frankly, the best thing I have ever heard.”

Regina Food Bank CEO John Bailey said he was happy to see so many people step up to donate throughout the day.

“I’m blown away by the support that we’ve got,” Bailey said. “It is almost leaving me speechless. As you go in this time of uncertainty and this time of where everybody’s worried about what effect this could have on them, for people to step up and support the food bank and their neighbours through this time is truly incredible.”

Demand for food bank services has already seen a rise — up seven per cent in Regina and four per cent in Saskatoon. If that keeps increasing, the food banks estimate they’ll each have a shortfall of one million meals per month.

More than 40 per cent of the people served by the food banks are children.

O’Connor said the staff members are doing what they can to help keep spirits high.

“My office is a little bit removed from where they work but I can hear them laughing and joking and really trying to make folks who are visiting us feel a little bit better and their colleagues feel a little bit better,” O’Connor said. “I think they’re tired. It’s a stressful and tiring time but they’ve really rallied around to support the community.”

Bailey said the money raised was crucial for both programs going forward.

“It really is transformational but it is a transformational time. We are looking at this going, ‘This buys us time that we know we can start making those orders and start getting those hampers put together with purchased food because this is going to be a long haul,’ ” Bailey said.

“We’re in this for the next six to eight months of this being our new normal and this is an incredible start to making sure we can meet the community’s needs.”