Below are some of the misconceptions about how the food bank works.

People that use the Food Bank are lazy and just don't want to work.

Myth...

The majority of our clients are working members of the society or suffering from severe illness that disables them from having a full time long term job.

The Food Bank is not keeping track of its clients so there is a lot of abuse.

Myth...

Our administration team keeps track of all clients through our membership program and computer database.  Although there is client abuse of our services it is less than 2% of our total client intake per month.  The LFB also works very closely with other food organizations in Lethbridge to ensure that clients are only receiving one hamper per month, by trading stats on a daily basis.

Food Banks are government funded and volunteer run, so why are they always asking for money?

Myth...

Food Banks are not government funded.  In fact Lethbridge has one of the only communities in Canada that has more than one food bank locally and receives funding at a municipal level.  The funding we receive is less than 5% of our total annual operating costs which means we rely heavily on public and private donations, fundraising, volunteering at bingos, grocery store donations and community support.  Volunteers are also hard to come by and provide only about 1% of the manpower a year it takes to run the organization.

The Food Bank is handing out food to the homeless and they are trading it for drugs and alcohol.

Myth...

Although we do assist the homeless in our community, it is not with food hampers, but supplements that can be carried in their pockets.  This is because the homeless do not have access to cooking facilities which is required for the bulk of contents in our hampers.  We try not to send them away hungry so we will handout bottled water, granola bars and other snack type foods.  We can't control what they do with those snacks, but our mandate is to feed the hungry so that is what we strive to do.

With Alberta being so rich with money and work, there is no need for Food Banks.

Myth...

Unfortunately we are seeing an increase in numbers of clients even though Alberta is booming.  This is because the cost of living is rising and the entry-level position wage has not caught up.  According to Statistics Canada, the average monthly family income needs to be almost $4500 for a family of four, in order for them to meet their basic needs..  That means if both adults are working they need to be making over $14/hour with full time hours.

Food Bank staff is hoarding food and keeping the best stuff for themselves

Myth...

This is absolutely untrue!  As food supplies come in we have to first sort it and make sure that it is up to our standards.  We then take inventory of what we have and make a guess of how long it will last.  We then put aside certain items that can be given out at specific times of the year, or store it until it can be properly broken down for maximum distribution.