SASKATOON

Saskatoon food bank pauses emergency food hamper service following COVID-19 outbreak

Published Sunday, January 31, 2021 2:46PM CST Last Updated Sunday, January 31, 2021 4:53PM CST

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has declared an outbreak at the Food Bank and Learning Centre after 3 cases of COVID-19 amongst the staff.

Text:

SASKATOON -- A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre, forcing the organization to temporarily "pause" its emergency food hamper service.

The Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre confirmed three cases of the virus amongst its staff as of Jan. 30. The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) has since declared an outbreak at the food bank, according to a news release.

“We are going to just shutter the emergency food program as we work through the sort of staffing challenges,” said Laurie O’Connor, executive director of the Food Bank and Learning Centre.

In light of the outbreak the food bank is temporarily pausing its emergency food hamper service on Monday, Feb. 1.

“Typically we’ll hand out anywhere from 100-200 hampers in a day,” O'Connor said.

The Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre has also increased cleaning protocols and expanded testing among staff, the organization said.