Holiday season sees bump in demand at Labrador food freezers

The demand at Labrador community food freezers has gone upsince the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and, according to the the chairperson of theNunaKatiget Inuit Community Corporation,isgrowing again heading into the holidays.

PatriciaKemuksigaktold CBC News theMax Winters Memorial Community Freezer in Happy Valley-Goose Bay can see about 200 families a month.

The freezer is packed with vegetablesandtraditional foods such as Arctic char and moose.

"We have to apply to different funding sources to keep food in our freezer. I'm hoping there will still be funds available through COVID or other sources so that we can continue,"Kemuksigak said.

"There's more and more elders turning 60, and the demand has increased quite a lot."

Kemuksigaksaid theHappy Valley-Goose Bay freezerdoesn't receive support from other organizations but she might look into working with the Community Food Sharing Association. Food prices are continuing to rise, she said, and many people are becoming morereliant on food programs.

Traditional foods

Lynn Blackwood, the Nunatsiavut government's food security program manager, said there's a variety of food programs throughout Nunatsiavut, including food freezers in five communities.

Blackwood said the demand for community freezers is high because of the traditional or "countryfood" being offered.

"People do not have access to country food like they once did. There's many barriers in the way of obtaining country food," she said.

"People may be working, they may not have transportation, they may not have Ski-Doos or boats or even the physical ability to go off and hunt and gather."

Blackwood andKemuksigakagreeaccess totraditional foods is important not only to stave off hunger but also forculturalreasons.

Blackwood said the food programming includes pairing youths with elders to pass on harvesting and hunting knowledge.

"We know in the definition of food security that culturally appropriate food is also part of it. It's not only access to food, but we want it to be culturally appropriate as well," she said.

"Sharing is a real important part of our culture, and we continue with that strong value today."

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