“It’s the kids. I don’t believe any child should have to go hungry. You can’t grow properly. Can’t learn if you’re hungry, so that’s what keeps me motivated and keeps me coming back.”
Erin Katerynych, executive director of the Battlefords District Food and Resource Centre, said that is why she returns to the Empty Stocking Fund Christmas campaign year after year.
This year, the centre is again asking the community for food, money and volunteers as it plans for 450 Christmas hampers to help families keep food on the table through the holidays.
The hampers provide food for Christmas Day and the school holiday period, along with a new gift and stocking stuffers for each child aged 17 and under.
The appeal comes as the centre has reduced food hamper sizes to keep up with demand. Food and cash donations are down, and it receives no core funding.
Katerynych said children accounted for 65 per cent of the people helped through its two food programs in October. She expects a busy Christmas based on rising numbers at the food bank, which operates five days a week.
In September, the centre distributed 675 food hampers and 487 Food for Kids bags, helping 2,259 people. Children represented 54 per cent of those helped that month.
To prepare, the centre has been buying food when it finds good deals, Katerynych said. Any food left over from the Christmas campaign will go to the food bank.
“We want to make sure that we have enough for everybody.”
Katerynych recalled how families have responded to the Christmas help.
“We’ve had people break down and cry and say, you know, thank you; without your help, we wouldn’t have had anything.”
“Some of the stories we hear at Christmas are heartbreaking… like a husband starts having seizures. The wife has to quit [her job] to be with him. Now, neither of them have no income, and they’re here applying for a Christmas hamper because they can’t make ends meet.”
“So, so many, every year, there are lots of stories that stick out.”
A photo taken during the 2024 Empty Stocking Fund distribution day at the Battlefords District Food and Resource Centre on Dec. 23, 2024. (Image Credit: Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)
The Empty Stocking Fund has helped community members at Christmas since the 1950s. This year’s campaign kicked off Nov. 13.
Registration for Christmas hampers opens Monday, Nov. 16, and closes Dec. 4. Distribution is set for Dec. 21 and 22.
Community groups are also doing its parts to support the campaign.
The RCMP’s Pack a Cruiser event will collect non-perishable food for the food bank Nov. 14, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Collection sites are Sobeys at 9801 Territorial Dr., Walmart Supercentre at 601 Carlton Trail and the Co-op Food Store at 9800 Territorial Dr., all in North Battleford.
WPD Ambulance will launch its Cram the Ambulance campaign Nov. 16, with 14 collection bins for toy donations. The campaign ends Dec. 16, and all toys will go to the food bank for children receiving Christmas hampers.
Paramedics with WPD Ambulance unload donated toys at the Battlefords District Food & Resource Centre on Dec. 17, 2025, after wrapping up the annual Cram the Ambulance campaign in North Battleford. (Image Credit: Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)
Loraas and the food bank are partnering for another year of their Business Food Drive with Santa’s sleigh. Local businesses are invited to help the food bank reach its goal of collecting 10,000 pounds of non-perishable food items. Businesses wanting to be included in the food drive on Dec. 17 can contact Loraas’ customer service at 306-445-3900 or [email protected].
The Battlefords WPD Ambulance Sharks will hold a teddy bear toss at their Nov. 22 home game. The Battlefords North Stars will hold theirs at their Nov. 29 home game.
Volunteers can also sign up for hamper packing sessions to sort donated toys by age group and pack food hampers for distribution. Other Christmas tasks include decorating cookies at Tim Hortons and unloading food.
The centre’s volunteer needs extend beyond Christmas. Katerynych said it is looking for people who can drive larger trucks for food pickups, along with helpers to accompany them.
The centre also needs volunteers with computer experience for its free income tax clinic, which runs from March to October.
Prospective volunteers can ask for Fatima Canoy, who is in charge of volunteers.
People interested in helping can contact the centre at 306-937-5505 or [email protected], or visit it at 1171 101st St. in North Battleford. More information is available at battlefordsfoodbank.ca.
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