Shelly Panczyk is the chairwoman of the Queens County Food Bank in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

More people are using the Queens County Food Bank at the same time as donations are dropping.

Shelly Panczyk, chairwoman of the food bank on Main Street in Liverpool, says the charity saw 4,993 people last year. Of those, 1,494 were children. 

That’s up markedly from when she started at the charity four years ago. She said back then, they’d see 40 families a week. Now, it’s closer to 55 families a week.

“I just want people to realize that this is a very, very busy place. I call this the third grocery store in Queens County.”

“This situation (our clients are) in, they can’t help it. We’ve seen people in here, husband and wife, each of them working. This is going to get worse before it ever gets better.”

Clients can go to the food bank every 21 days to stock up on food and household items. The food bank also operates a thrift store on Main Street, about a block away.

Last year, revenue at the food bank alone was down by $107,000. But expenses climbed by $17,000. The thrift store, though, generated $82,000 in net income for the food bank. 

Panczyk and the board reported those figures at the charity’s recent annual general meeting. She clarified that part of the reason for the revenue drop in 2023 was that they didn’t receive any large grants like they did the year before.

Panczyk said the food bank does have savings in the bank. But she said in an interview that without the income from the thrift store, they would be in trouble.

“Without that store, this food bank would not be running,” she said.

Both the food bank and the thrift store are run entirely by volunteers. They have as many as 50 through the year. There are no paid staff.

“It costs $140,000 a year to run this food bank, just this building. And we don’t get that in donations. That store … is our little gold mine.”

Panczyk said that older people and churches used to be among their biggest donors. 

“The donors were the people that are in their 80s and 90s and now have died. Churches were always a good donation, because churches were the ones that started most food banks. Churches are closing, their parishioners are down.”

A study released in February by food rescue organization Second Harvest showed that demand for food charity in Canada is expected to rise by 18 per cent this year. The study found that on average, each charity needs an extra $76,000 to meet that increased demand.

Panczyk says monetary and food donations have dropped, though she says that the local Sobeys and Superstore are still major food donors. And they receive regular shipments from Feed Nova Scotia.

But she said she still has to buy a lot of food to serve their clients. 

“My grocery bill here for a month is anywhere from $4-6,000.”

She said four years ago, the food bank would buy 200 pounds of hamburger to distribute over three months.

“I’m buying 500 pounds. They used to pay $2.99 (a pound) and I have to wait until it goes on sale and I pay almost $5 a pound. And I give out 200 pounds of that a month now.”

The food bank is also required to stock 14 staple food items such as peanut butter, crackers, pasta sauce and spaghetti. They have to buy many of those items. 

And Panczyk says she has to make sure she can cater to more diverse food needs, as more families of various backgrounds move to Queens County.

She has applied for grants to begin to stock more food variety, such as halal meats or basmati rice.

“So this is a whole new scenario for food banks, especially in these smaller communities that we never had before.”

Panczyk said she’s grateful for the donors they do have and for the community support of the thrift store. 

But she said they need more cash donations so that they can continue to serve a growing and more diverse clientele.

“I don’t think I  want to be starting out again not what these people are going through. I think this is almost as bad as the Depression, trying to fight your way through.”

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Shelly Panczyk (centre) with representatives from Liverpool Superstore, food bank staff, Queens Mayor Darlene Norman and MLA Kim Masland. Photo Ed Halverson

A new walk-in freezer is helping the Queens County Food Bank provide better service to more people, more efficiently.

The 12’ x 12’ walk in freezer is the result of a $45,000 donation courtesy of Loblaws Canada.

Chair of the Queens County Food Bank Shelley Panczyk learned they would be receiving the funding in November of 2022.

The walk-in replaces chest freezers the food bank had been using and Panczyk says the ability to open a door and see where food is at a glance has been extremely helpful to volunteers.

“You’ve got your hamburger here and your hot dogs here and things on top of each other and we were always pulling and taking out and rearranging,” said Panczyk.

For two years before the new unit was installed, Panczyk says Mersey Seafood would store overflow frozen food for the bank.

She welcomes the increased capacity the new freezer provides as over the past three years food bank use has increased dramatically.

“And it’s not just single people. I have people in here that are, two people working. With the way the economy is, and the pricing, that have to come here because there’s no way that they could ever live.”

On average, the Queens County Food Bank provides for 160 families every month serving 450-500 people, 33 percent of those are children.

Panczyk says the support from the Superstore and Sobeys stores in Liverpool is invaluable.

She also appreciates all the generous food donations being dropped off at various locations.

While those are good, Panczyk says one of the best ways to support the food bank is through making a cash donation.

“Money donations are better because I’m always, always looking for sales. That’s part of my work,” said Panczyk. “Every Thursday I have to get the flyers from Superstore and Sobeys and I go through and what’s ever on sale that I use as a staple, I have to order. And we’re ordering cases.”

Panczyk says they can accept cash or cheque at the food bank or thrift store locations, by mail or people can e-transfer the funds.

Donors receive a receipt which can come in handy when looking for deductions at tax time.

Now that the walk-in freezer is installed and running, Panczyk says the Food Bank infrastructure is set for years to come and they can confidently focus on serving their clients.

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Queens County Food Bank. Photo Ed Halverson

Christmas came early to the Queens County Food Bank as the organization received just over $45,000 to buy a new walk-in freezer.

Queens was one of five banks across Canada to receive grants from Loblaw Companies Limited, the parent company of local Real Atlantic Superstore, No Frills and Independent stores.

The new freezer will increase the food bank’s frozen food capacity by 25 percent when it arrives sometime in the spring.

Chair of the Queens County Food Bank Shelly Panczyk says that extra space couldn’t come at a better time.

“We’re going into an economic slump or recession or whatever. Everything is starting to escalate,” said Panczyk. “Even two people in a family that are working sometimes have to use a food bank.”

Panczyk says she is seeing a 20 percent increase in the number of people using the Food Bank over last year.

On average 120 families or 450 people use the food bank every month, a third of those are children.

She expects those numbers will go even higher after Christmas.

“I feel in January February, you know, the winter months when reality sets in, because we’ve only had a taste of it increase in heating,” said Panczyk.

She says the Food Bank is anticipating the usual uptick in donations as people get into the spirit during the holiday season.

Panczyk looks forward to launching several of their regular donation drive efforts once Remembrance Day passes.

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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.

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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.

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