$70K will help city food banks reach out to rural areas, group says

A $70,000 donation to Saskatchewan food banks will help build a better system to get food to needy families in rural areas, organizers say.

Steve Compton, the executive director of Food Banks of Saskatchewan, said the funds announced Friday will reduce the need for rural community members to drive into the cities to access food.

The organization wants to improve its distribution system in Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, and the Battlefords to reach out to smaller centres.

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The money was donated by the South Saskatchewan Community Foundation, with the funds coming from the Kramer Ltd. Foundation and the G. Murray and Edna Forbes Foundation.

The foundation says it wants to use the money to addressfood insecurity.

The group says the donation was inspired by PotashCorp's contributions to the province's holiday fundraising, which included help from the CBC's Comfort and Joy campaign.

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Food insecurity exists within a household when one or more members do not have access to the variety or quantity of foodthey need due to lack of money, according to Statistics Canada.