As the hunger crisis has loomed in Nunavut since early last fall, community organizations have been working hard to keep residents fed.

John McCafferty, founder of the Kugluktuk Food Bank, delivered over 400 hampers with turkeys, hams, mashed potatoes, a vegetable, and some stovetop stuffing during the Christmas season last year.

Another organization, the Kugluktuk Food Bank, stepped up to provide food directly to the community of roughly 1,500 people when it opened last November. The food bank is open every Wednesday morning from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. to help families get a few meals to carry them through until their next paycheck. The food bank also provides a big breakfast at a local high school, feeding about 70 kids twice a week.

Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre has served 8% of the Iqaluit community through its soup kitchen with a hot lunch in the preceding week. Every two weeks, the Ikurraq Food Bank in Rankin Inlet provides pre-packed grocery bags to people who sign up, aiming to give enough food to feed a family of four for several days.

Many communities are relying on similar programs, especially after Indigenous Services Canada ended the Hamlet Food Voucher last spring. That program offered parents $500 per child each month for food and $250 per child under four for diapers through the Inuit Child First Initiative.

Experts believe that the food insecurity problem is ongoing and complex, with very few good-paying jobs, low income, high food prices, limits on harvesting, and overcrowded housing adding up to constant hardship for many families.

Source: Jesse Staniforth, APTN News