With food being an immediate concern after people are displaced by a natural disaster, food banks are increasingly calling for their increased involvement in emergency planning. “Food banks and food are kind of always the secondary thought for the government, but we are always a primary thought for those in need,” Arianna Scott, senior project manager of Food Banks Alberta, told The Globe and Mail.
With the economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic increasing demands on food banks across Canada, concerns are being raised about the need to treat food banks as an essential service in emergencies. “We’re trying to knock down doors at government to say, ‘Hey, we can do this and we can help you,’ whereas if we were just part of the system, we would be better able to provide these services,” Scott said of the importance of coordination after emergencies.
James McAra, president of the Calgary Food Bank, spoke to The Globe and Mail about the need for legislative changes to recognize the importance of food banks after disasters, “No one’s actually talking about food. They’ll talk about shelter. They’ll talk about clothing. They’ll talk about warmth. They’ll make sure all these things are happening, but then it’s like, ‘Did anyone bring sandwiches?’”
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