The Canadian Foodgrains Bank has started using some of the produce that farmers in the Central Plains grow to feed families halfway across the planet.
Travis Rintoul, treasurer for Feeding Other Communities to Undo Starvation (FOCUS), attended the May 2nd Rotary Club of Portage la Prairie meeting. He says they grow on 550 acres of farmland, which is then turned into financial support for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. He notes they’re trying to show the rest of the world the helping hand that Portage la Prairie and the surrounding area has toward their own.
“We’re one of the most blessed areas, I think, from around the world,” explains Rintoul. “So, it’s about partnering with foreign aid and helping those communities around the world that maybe don't have the same luxuries or access to supply chains and food and all of the things that we sometimes take for granted.”
He adds that in 2020, while the COVID-19 pandemic was still contained within China, he took a trip alongside some of the other FOCUS members to India. Rintoul says one of the biggest takeaways from the trip was how efficiently the Canadian Foodgrains Bank could deliver food or donations to impoverished areas as opposed to two governments trying to coordinate the same thing.
“The trip was absolutely impactful,” notes Rintoul. “I got to interact with local farmers, see where they live, where they grow their crops. It was just fascinating from that perspective. The food, the colors, the sights, the sounds, it was absolutely breathtaking. It was a very moving trip.”
To learn more about the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and to donate, click here.
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