Vimal Sharma: Edmonton Postal Workers Food Hamper Program

We began our journey of providing food and clothes to people in need back in April 2020. It all started when I saw a post on a Facebook group, called YEG Community Response to Covid-19. A person had asked for help because they couldn’t afford a single loaf of bread and asked if anyone could provide something for him. It was a very shocking moment for me as I realised there are people who can’t afford the basic necessities of life, even here in one of Canada’s major cities. This person’s call for help touched me so much that I felt compelled to do something about this and I wanted to see if I could help our community members. That evening I went to work and discussed this with my colleagues – we concluded that we absolutely must do something for our community during this tough time of the pandemic. Here we are two years later, and we have gone out every Saturday without fail and regardless of the hurdles. Whether it has been -40C or +40C in the peak of summer, in storms and rain or anything else, we have been there. We’ve been wholeheartedly devoted to the community and their welfare.

These two years have been such a rollercoaster both emotionally and physically too. We all work full-time and have our own families that we provide and care for too. At times, it was hard to keep doing all of it as we gave up our own Saturdays so we could be there, helping and uplifting our community. There’s been a lot of time donated to this from our own personal lives, and not just on Saturdays - it takes a lot of time during the week to coordinate and gather donations. Yet our physical and emotional fatigue never stopped us, because of the immense satisfaction of helping people – the pleasant smiles and at times their teary eyes; there is that feeling that we have made someone’s life slightly better has been far greater reward than anything we’ve had to endure.

One of the greatest challenges we have faced throughout but even more obvious recently has been the increasing inflation that has affected the economy and has made it harder for us to provide. We started with being able to purchase peanut butter for $2.00 and now we see it for $3.00 or more. That is a 50% hike in the price! There have been other products that have not increased much but the net quantity per package has decreased, so we are forced to pay more to get the same quantity that we once did. With the recent spike over the past few months in electricity and gas, many of our own, along with fellow community members faced utility bills that doubled or tripled. This affects not only the underprivileged residents in our city who are struggling, but our very own donors and volunteers who are now faced with trying to choose between themselves and helping the community. Inflation is causing many to have diminished capacity to donate time, energy and goods. We give out food at two locations in Edmonton that are over 25 minutes drive apart, so now our volunteers must also pay more in gas to transport goods between sites, and those receiving our goods may have diminished ability to get transportation there. It leaves many choosing whether they can find the means to get something to eat, or whether to starve.

Throughout all we have faced, we will not let anything stop us. We continue despite the physical strain, financial struggles and changing weather to serve our community members and be there for them. In the past two years we have aided over 6,000 community members with food and clothes, and we’re still as dedicated today as we were on Day 1. On Saturday, April 16, 2022, the We Together Strong group of Postal Workers and fellow community members will celebrate our 2nd Anniversary of providing food hampers to our community members in need and commemorate all that we have done together these past two years. We look forward to celebrating all that we have done and hope to continue to help our community recover and to ensure all have the basic necessities to live.