THUNDER BAY — Around 500,000 kg of food from food banks has been delivered through a new food security alliance.
The Wiiche’iwaymagon buying alliance has been working for nearly a year now to bring food bank operations to 43 isolated communities in northern Ontario and Manitoba.
“We're hoping to reach about 345,000 people," said Randy Jenkins, CEO of Wiiche’iwaymagon buying alliance.
"The communities are setting up their own storage and distribution capacity. All we have to do is ship the food and it makes it to where it needs to go."
Jenkins said the idea of sharing food isn't bound by race or identity.
“It's people who are hungry, get fed. That's the tradition.
“Everybody at the table believes that we need to enhance what the food banks are doing as well.”
Jason Stevens, northern network manager with food banks Canada, said this will benefit a lot of people.
“We’re looking at 200,000 Indigenous community members and 150,000 non-Indigenous community members.
“The impact is tremendous and will be felt within all regions part of the partnership,” Stevens said.
“In December of 2023 we had reached the point in negotiating with our food bank partners and amongst the tribal councils that we decided to formalize our relationship as a treaty,” said Jenkins.
“We agree to work together to enhance each other's operations, to improve business for each of the partners and to take away from nobody. Meaning that the food banks don't lose their ability to service their clientele, that we work together to enhance their ability to service their clientele.
“The same thing with the tribal councils that we all work together that we bring all of this together in order to feed elders and babies as a priority,” Jenkins said.
A ceremony was held earlier this month in Thunder Bay, to mark the progress made to officially recognize Wiiche’iwaymagon as a legal entity and celebrate its accomplishments.
“Today the drum was awakened. In the spring, it will be taken back to the Forks in Winnipeg, which is the traditional gathering place, traditional trading area for the Anishinaabe people,” Jenkins said.
The alliance includes First Nations and organizations from both provinces.
“We've got the National Food Bank, Harvest Manitoba, which is the sort of Manitoba Food Bank.
“We've got the RFDA Centre in Thunder Bay, feed Ontario, breakfast clubs of Canada and second harvest are all on board and they've all signed on to the treaty to work together.
“It's been quite remarkable to date,” Jenkins said.
He added that it is the hope to replicate and expand this type of model and delivery system to other parts of Canada, in the future.