Second Harvest Expands Rural Reach with Moosomin Food Share

“Food rescue is so important in rural communities because we don’t have the access cities do. We rely on Second Harvest to get these big shipments out here,” Samantha Campbell, manager at Moosomin Food Share, explained. “A lot of people receiving these food shipments are your next-door neighbour ... getting this shipment out gives them something to look forward to.”  

In rural Saskatchewan, access can be a major obstacle to food security. For the Moosomin Food Share, large-scale food rescue shipments have helped extend their reach.  

“Our partnership with Second Harvest is phenomenal,” Samantha continued. “The amount of [food] they can give us reaches not just Moosomin but communities beyond us — day cares, schools, nursing homes.”  

Moosomin has built the infrastructure, volunteer base and distribution network needed to receive and move large-scale shipments of fresh, perishable food quickly and efficiently. That ability makes them a critical rural partner for Second Harvest. When bulk shipments of apples, potatoes, dairy and eggs arrive, the team is ready. In one recent shipment, the food share received 25,200 dozen eggs from Second Harvest and had the valuable protein sorted and distributed within a single day, reaching households in Moosomin and neighbouring communities.

That capacity supports a wide range of local programming. Each month, the food share puts together around 80 hampers, supporting 270 people. The hampers are filled with milk, bread, eggs, fruits and vegetables and are supplemented with non-perishable and frozen items that people choose through a shopping model.  

“It’s putting food on the table for somebody that needs it, and it’s a wonderful feeling to be able to do that,” Orey Hudym, a volunteer, shared.  

Orey Hudym and Audrey Hudym are regular volunteers at the food share, assembling packages for the backpack program, an initiative created after local schools identified a need for reliable weekend food support for students. Each backpack is filled with heart-healthy items that require little to no preparation, including two breakfasts, two morning snacks, two lunches and two afternoon snacks.  

The food share also keeps a stocked community fridge, following a “take what you need, leave what you can” model.  

“Second Harvest really got our name out there,” Samantha continued. “It’s wonderful that Second Harvest gave us the option to help people beyond our client list. We’re able to help people that need it in our community, and thousands of other people in communities all over.”

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