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Hamper requests at the Drayton Valley Food Bank have increased this year, but not at the same rate as last year.
Phil Bell, the treasurer for the board, says that along with the increase in hamper requests, there have also been more in-kind donations.
“[Drayton Valley] is a very generous community,” he says. “It continues to amaze us.”
Bell says last year there was a 50 percent bump in people, but this year the increase was roughly 10 percent, or about 200 family units.
“Last year was probably the biggest increase we’ve ever experienced,” he says.
Over the past 13 years, the most significant increases in usage were in 2015, when the number of hampers jumped up to 948. By 2016, they had doubled the number of hampers they gave out in 2012 and were sitting at 1,262. For the next seven years, the hampers didn’t increase significantly, and even dropped in 2020.
In 2023, the number of hampers spiked to more than 1,600, and in 2024, that number increased to 2,479. The projected total for 2025 is 2,750 hampers.
“We are seeing more working people coming as well,” says Bell. “To me that’s a sign that people are just struggling to make it.”
Only two percent of users have indicated they are unsheltered. Another four percent have given no information. The remainder of the users are from other counties (three percent), Brazeau County (26 percent), and Drayton Valley (65 percent).
The reason for the slowdown isn’t clear, says Bell. He’s not sure if the inflation rate is affecting things or if last year the bulk of the people needing help came forward.
Even though they did see an increase, Bell says this year they haven’t had to cut their hamper sizes, which further goes to show the generosity of the community. They’ve also been able to give out more seasonal items this year because some companies and individuals have given large donations. Hams, chocolates, and Christmas oranges were some of the items that were donated.
“We were able to supplement all the hampers with those items, which was nice to be able to give to people this time of year,” says Bell.
In order to ensure they can still continue to supply hampers to those that need them, Bell says they have been working to get their Foodbanks Canada accreditation.
“That’s kind of a heavy lift for us to be able to get these standards in place so that we can maintain our membership under Food Banks Alberta, which is under Food Banks Canada,” says Bell.
The accreditation will help the food bank with federal grants as well as the allotment that it gets from Food Banks Alberta. Every year, the food bank pays $150 for a membership with Food Banks Alberta, and in return they get between 3,000 and 4,000 lb of food every month.
“They only charge us $100 to get the food out here,” says Bell. “That’s a refrigerated truck, so we have access to frozen stuff.”
Because of the significance of the allotments, Bell says they are working hard to meet the requirements set forth. He says Drayton Valley is expected to continue to grow, and with that growth could come a higher demand for services, but he’s confident that the community will continue to step up to help those who need it.
Anyone looking to make a donation to the food bank can visit www.draytonvalleyfoodbank.ca/donate.
