Five organizations are getting a share of $193,000 in provincial funding to help with food security issues in Northern Manitoba resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations Minister Alan Lagimodiere announced the one-time funding March 28.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the challenges of accessing healthy food in Northern Manitoba,” said Lagimodiere in a press release. “Supply chain interruptions have driven up food prices and caused shortages of healthy food options. This additional funding will help alleviate some of the strain placed on many northern communities and put food on their tables.”
Funding recipients are the Bayline Regional Roundtable, Four Arrows Regional Health Authority, Frontier School Division, Food Matters Manitoba and the Northern Association of Community Councils.
“Bayline is excited to receive this grant funding,” said Carol Sagnoffsky, an administrator with the Bayline Regional Roundtable. “With an increased interest in beekeeping and gardening, we would use this grant to enhance our programming.”
The funding supports the Northern Health Foods Initiative, a program that helps communities access healthy food in Northern Manitoba in an attempt to increase local food security projects and strengthen community-led development.
“The IRNR NHFI program funding is so greatly appreciated and timely,” said Linda Payeur, executive director of NACC. “This support affords the Northern Association of Community Councils the ability to be responsive to our Northern Manitoba member communities experiencing such a dramatic increase in cost of nutritional food and agricultural supplies.”
Examples of things that NHFI funding is used for are the purchase of seeds, soil and gardening supplies for food-growing efforts in northern communities or other projects that enhance local food production and food security in the north.
