Queens County Food Bank shelves have lots of space for more donations. Photo Ed Halverson

Queens County Food Bank Staff are hoping as the leaves fall, donations go up.

Executive Director of the Queens County Food Bank Shelly Panczyk and her staff of 20 volunteers supply 350 people in Queens with food every month.

Panczyk says warmer weather means a significant drop in donations.

“There’s not a lot of groups getting together saying, okay, we’re going to do this for the food bank, we’re going to run this, this week for the food bank or this month for the food bank. We don’t have any of that in June, July, and August,” said Panczyk.

The Queens County Food Bank has been relying on a shipment of food it receives each Monday from Feed Nova Scotia.

But Panczyk says even that source is drying up since pandemic restrictions have lifted and people have started to return to their normal routines.

“People were donating to the food bank like crazy during this all, they were loaded. Feed Nova Scotia was loaded. Now they’re getting down, they have nothing,” said Panczyk. “I probably was getting 1,200 kilograms and we’re down now to eight (800kg). And each week it’s going down and down, what supplies are coming in from them.”

Shelly Panczyk at Queens County Food Bank. Photo Ed Halverson

Donations from Sobeys and Superstore account for the rest of the supplies currently lining the shelves at their Main Street, Liverpool location.

Panczyk says the decline in donations come as the food bank is seeing an increase in the number of people using their services since the pandemic.

She says what’s needed to ensure they can continue to serve the community is a regular stream of donations either through the drop boxes at local grocery stores or by monthly donation to Feed Nova Scotia.

To learn how to donate to the Queens County Food Bank you can head to their Facebook Page.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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Queens County Food Bank. Photo: Ed Halverson

The middle of a pandemic is a tough time to take over the operations of a food bank.

Chair of the Queens Food Bank Shelly Panczyk assumed the role in September of 2020 after long serving chair Charlotte White stepped down.

Panczyk says the opportunity to learn from White for almost a year combined with the dedication of all the volunteers have made the job easier.

“They’ve worked tirelessly through this whole thing and kept people fed,” said Panczyk.

A dedicated team of nine volunteers and Panczyk ensure the operation continues to run smoothly.

The food bank has had a steady stream of clients since the beginning of the pandemic, but Panczyk says she has seen an uptick in demand of 10 to 20 percent since the end of the federal CERB benefit.

“These poor people that are out, they’ve upped the minimum wage to 15 but they’ve also upped the cost of living by 20 percent,” said Panczyk. “So, you know what, you’re not getting anything for your dollar, right?”

The Queens County Food Bank is part of the Feed Nova Scotia network and receives a truck load of food at the beginning of each week.

But it still relies on food donations from the local grocery stores and private donors for some of the more perishable items such as bread and dairy.

Before the pandemic, the organization would host fundraisers, but COVID restrictions forced them to be creative on how to raise money.

Panczyk came up with the idea for the thrift store which opened to the public in April 2021.

Every item sold comes from the local community and any proceeds pay the bills for both the store and the food bank.

“We got it open, and people just came to it. It was unbelievable. I’m amazed at the end of every week what we do for, moneywise,” said Panczyk. “You know that a small town, it keeps us going.”

Despite the growing popularity of the thrift store, cash donations are still needed.

Cash in hand not only helps the food bank stock up on products they need while they’re on sale but also helps them to pay bills like rent, heat and lights that allow them to operate.

Panczyk says like most charities, the Christmas season brings in the bulk of their donations for the entire year.

Anyone interested in donating can do so anytime by contacting the Queens County food bank or by putting some items in the bin at their local grocery store.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

To listen to the broadcast of this story, press play below.