By TERRY PUGH
Volunteers with the Sask Valley Foodgrains Bank (SVFB) are gearing up for the organization’s annual Spring Supper, the biggest fundraising event on their calendar.
The event, slated for Friday, April 17 at the Brian King Centre in Warman, began in 1980 and has been held every year since, even – in a modified ‘drive-through’ format – during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s just as popular as ever, said event chair Walter Wiebe. “Actually, our best turnout was last year when we served just over 800 people. It’s a social event that provides a practical way for people to help alleviate hunger around the world.”
The annual supper raises funds for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFB), a partnership of 15 church and church-based agencies working together to end global hunger. The organization’s members collectively represent nearly 30 Christian denominations made up of over 12,000 individual congregations across Canada.
“The Christian philosophy is all about helping your neighbour, whether that’s down the road or in another country,” said Wiebe. “It’s our duty as Christians to help other people, and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish with this event.”
One of the keynote speakers at the upcoming supper is Solomon Janzen, the Human Resources and Administration Director at the CFB’s head office in Winnipeg. Janzen is originally from the Sask Valley area.
The Saskatchewan CFB Coordinator, Rick Block, will also make a presentation at the supper.
Wiebe said while global hunger is a chronic issue, this year it is more acute than ever.
“Wars have a big impact on food shortages, and we’re seeing that in many countries right now,” said Wiebe. “But, there are also many other locations, particularly in Africa, that have weather and climate-related challenges.
“In Zimbabwe, for example, the farmers there are finding ways to ensure they have a reliable supply of water to get through their frequent dry spells.”
Wiebe was one of several participants in a study tour last year that viewed several CFB aid projects in Africa.
“What we saw in Zimbabwe was that they have a lot of irrigation projects underway to grow their own crops in their own country,” said Wiebe. “This is the focus for the foodgrains bank. When the organization began decades ago, farmers in Canada would grow grain and donate it to the Foodgrains Bank when they delivered it to their local elevator, and then the grain would be shipped to whatever country overseas needed food aid.
“But now, the focus is on assisting with projects that build food self-sufficiency in those countries. It’s much more sustainable, and it doesn’t undercut their local market.”
Wiebe noted that donations to the CFB are matched by the federal government.
Over the decades, the Sask Valley Foodgrains Bank has been a major contributor to the national organization. For many years, its largest fundraising event was a charity auction held every June at the Walter Wiebe farm near Hague. The supper in Warman every spring helped offset the cost of the auction while also contributing to the CFB’s projects.
The auction had to be cancelled in 2020, and now the local foodgrains bank group focus on the fundraising supper, according to Wiebe.
He added it takes dozens of volunteers working many long hours to make it happen.
“We have some really good volunteers,” he said. “And the work actually starts the summer before the event, when we pick blueberries and strawberries.
The committee also relies heavily on donations, but also purchases the perogies, ham, sausages and cole slaw from local supportive businesses at discounted prices.
Additional information is available at foodgrainsbank.ca or by calling Walter Wiebe at 306-280-7107 or 306-225-5825.