Every two weeks the Mittima Food Bank Society provides, on average, 100 packages of food to support families in Pond Inlet.
photo courtesy Mittima Food Bank Society
The society of volunteers, operating officially since August of last year, has no home, with the local Northern and Co-op delivering fresh foods to the community hall, where seven volunteers distribute staples such as flour, eggs, milk, fresh fruit and vegetables, soups and other items, explained board member Salah Abouelnaga.
"It's family support," he said.
"It depends on family size. Up to nine get one package and more than nine get two."
On May 18, 86 families – roughly 460 people – in the community were provided with packages. The community had a population of 1,617 at the 2016 census.
Abouelnaga says the society hopes for support from the Government of Nunavut for premises, where it would like to run a soup kitchen, along with the food bank.
"Our ambition is to have a place, with a kitchen, so people have country food, not only store food. So the people will be happy, with more interaction in the community. It's good for people, good for the community," said Abouelnaga.
Currently, the society, made up of five members, is serving food packages for the community with $55,000 from the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, $62,000 from Baffinland Iron Mines Corp., $9,322 from the Northern, and donations from Arctic Co-op, the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce, Arctic Kingdom, as well as other fundraising efforts.
photo courtesy Mittima Food Bank Society