Need beats pride as Islanders head into tough holiday season

Volunteers at the Souris Lions Club say there's been an increase in people who need a helping hand in the last few decades, and the club has had to work harder to meet that need.

The Lions Club gathers and distributes baskets for people who can't afford food during the holiday season.

"It's a great community effort that makes this possible," Souris Lions Club chair Peter Boertien told Island Morning host Mitch Cormier in an interview as part of CBC's Feed a Family campaign. "The community is great."

The number of people in P.E.I. who rely on food banks is higher than ever, and the need is even greater during the holidays. CBC P.E.I.'s Feed A Family Campaign helps feed families across the Island, making the holidays brighter for those in need.

Boertien said his group has already bought the groceries for the baskets to go out this season, and soon the local ringette team and Girl Guides will help pack it all up, along with gifts for kids.

Boertien said he expects around 150 people will ask for help this year, up about 20 from last year. He expects to hear from most of them over the next week — though some may be reluctant.

"They are proud. They won't ask," he said, adding that that changes if there's family involved,

"If they need help and they've got children, they'll ask us. They trust us."

Volunteers will deliver the baskets personally.

"It puts goosies on your arms and you are glad you could do it," Boertien said.

Traffic shows need 

Further down Main St. in Souris, the community fridge is stocked twice a day and usually emptied twice a day as well.

The local Credit Union started the fridge about a year ago and keeps it running, but bank manager Paul MacNeill says the entire community has jumped on board to support it.

He said there's no doubt how great the need is.

"The biggest evidence to us is the traffic," he said. "We could probably put triple the amount of product out there and it would move. On any given day, you look out and see our seniors who are going in to get something to eat, and young families. It's such a requirement."

The Souris fridge, freezer and cupboard is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It costs $25,000 a year to run.

"No matter what we put out there, there's a huge demand," MacNeill said. "We stock it everyday."

At Souris Regional School, families are encouraged to reach out through the school guidance counselors if they need help.

"As helpers in the school, we often worry about our families when they aren't in school," said Jason Higgins, a youth services worker at the school. "Sometimes the school is the only place they can talk and link with those supports."

Those who work at Souris Regional School say they worry about their students when they are away during the holidays. (Steve Bruce/CBC)

Those supports come from help in the community — for example, Higgins said there's a single business in town that supports 17 families.

"They often point out what small towns don't have, but here in Souris, we have great community spirit."

Guidance counselor Alana MacGregor Harris said feeding the need is also about creating happy memories for students.

"It's really nice after the holidays are over to come back into the building and to say to kids, 'How was your Christmas?' and know that those kids can answer that the same way of any other children who have a more fortunate opportunity in their house," she said.