A small and warm-hearted group of volunteers from Ste. Anne, Manitoba, believe that no one in their community should ever struggle to put food on the table. From humble beginnings 11 years ago at a meeting where community members wondered if there was really a need, to providing food staples to 106 families in 2025, Accueil Kateri has become an important support in the town of 2,000 people.
“When someone first said they weren’t sure there were families who needed help in our community, I suggested that if Grunthal and Steinbach had food banks, we couldn’t be that different,” explains Aurèle Boisvert, president of the board of Accueil Kateri. “It was a social worker who first pointed out the need to me. She said she could see kids coming to school without proper nutrition, and it was poverty that was at the root.”
Chantal Fréchette, board member and volunteer, reiterates that many myths about food banks and who uses them persist. “It is a bit of an invisible issue,” she shares. “The people who use our food banks are working. They have jobs and they’re doing everything they can to care for their families but it’s not enough. Costs have gone up for us all, which means that many people do not have enough leeway in their budget to cover the increase in food costs.”
Boisvert continues, “In a modern budget, food is the only thing you can really flex. Rent is rent, phones cost what they cost, but you can cut a food budget. It’s upsetting to me that people in a country like Canada are forced to make those choices. People often share what they’re going through when they pick up their food, and truly, it’s so hard. They have a little cry sometimes, and they tell us what a difference it makes to have a little help.”
A community-driven initiative like Accueil Kateri is run on heart and dedication, and the support of those who can give. When, in 2024, Francofonds offered $10,000 towards an innovative program called “A Well Nourished Brain Gives You a Head Start”, it was a breath of fresh air. “We felt like we could really start to make a bigger impact,” admits Boisvert. However, it became clear that a stable budget that would ensure reliable and consistent operations, including the purchase of necessary food supplies, and was essential to the sustainability of the project. “We then reached out to Réseau Compassion Network to see if they might be able to further stabilize our funding so we could start meeting more needs.”
Réseau Compassion Network will contribute $41,000 over the course of the next two years to cover the costs of the expansion of the new nutrition and education program targeted to help feed underserved pre-school children. Currently, the program is serving 14 children, a number that will grow to 35 by 2027, thanks to the support of RCN.
“We know that the most important time for development for children is under the age of 5,” shares Fréchette, who oversees the Early Childhood Nutrition program. “We’ve started small, but we’re now providing pre-made healthy meals for little ones to take with them to preschool. Those families also get a book to read together, and a little activity booklet, too. There’s a monthly theme, and we’ve gotten wonderful support from social workers, nurses, dieticians and teachers who offered us more ways to help families in Ste. Anne.”
With 36 volunteers working at Accueil Kateri, a major donation like the one from RCN means more than financial support. “We’re a small organization that is somewhat vulnerable; we really do rely on community to keep going”, shares Boisvert. “Plus, the donation tells our volunteers and the families we serve that someone else cares, too. We can feed more than hunger; we can be more than a food bank. When I watch the news lately, I’m reminded how hard it is in the world. Then I look at what we’re managing to do here, and it really warms my heart.”