By Geoff Smith (@GeoffSmithLNN on Twitter)

Helping hungry children particular focus of food bank head

Dec 13, 2018 | 11:29 AM

LETHBRIDGE – Food banks may be here to stay, but they’re evolving to meet the continuing need, with a particular focus on children.

Lethbridge Food Bank executive director Maral Kiani Tari spoke at the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs regular luncheon Thursday, Dec. 13 to discuss the changes over the past 35 years. The food bank started in 1982 with a “food share” program.

“It was sort of a stop-gap measure. It has definitely grown and the need has always been there. And the need is continuing to be there,” Kiani Tari explained in an interview. “However, what we are focusing on (is) to be able to have programs to get our clients out of our system, to be able to get them on their own, and being that sort of stop where they can come for help and get back on their feet.”

While she and other food bank leaders would like to see the need for their organizations eliminated, Kiani Tari doesn’t expect that to happen without drastic change.

“How I envision it is that the food banks will be a training method, a tool, to be able to get people on their own, rather than relying solely on the food bank.”

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She said the Lethbridge and Interfaith Food Banks work to provide complementary programs, and direct people to other services available in the community.

Kiani Tari, who holds degrees from the University of Calgary and Queen’s University, was named executive director in 2016. She said the need to help hungry children is a particular focus with kids making up 40 per cent of the 1,400 clients served each month.

“Child poverty is real and it’s really high in Lethbridge. If we focus on them at that age, we can make a change in the future,” she said.

One example of that is the Mindful Munchies program, with the food bank started in 2017 in partnership with My City Care. It began providing 600 lunches a week in partnership with 11 schools and agencies. It’s now 19 schools and agencies, serving 1,400 lunches each week.