New food bank opens in Kugluktuk, Nunavut

A new emergency food bank has opened in Kugluktuk, Nunavut, and more than 200 bags filled with groceries were handed out on its opening day.

“There was a lot of hungry people, and I feel sorry for them — but I’m happy it’s here,” said Millie Hatogina who lives in the community. 

The food bank is a hamlet-led initiative, and it’s meant to help families who are experiencing critical food shortages and can’t afford basic necessities. Food insecurity is widespread in the territory. According to Statistics Canada, almost 60 per cent of Nunavut households reported being food insecure in 2024 — the highest percentage in the country.

“There’s not a lot of jobs of course in the community … so people got to rely on families, a lot of hunting, fishing to help them out,” said John McCafferty, the assistant senior administrative officer with the hamlet. He worked alongside two other hamlet employees to get the food bank up and running.

The hamlet received over $900,000 in funding from the Inuit Child First Initiative (ICFI) to help cover a food voucher program, but that funding ended in March. Individual requests for food support are still permitted under the program, but some Nunavummiut have said there were very few approvals, and were largely only for those with specific medical needs.  McCafferty said that money had helped with food security in the community. "It helped to feed the children, make sure that they're fed well without going to bed hungry at night," he said.

Food Banks Canada is donating goods to the new Kugluktuk facility, and whatever is unavailable from that organization is purchased through a supplier. The food bank carries grocery items like flour, sugar, and milk, and has a freezer for storing meat. “We needed this help for so long, and we have so many growing families, and so many students at night running around with no food and asking for money,” said Corey Niptanatiak, who lives in the community. 

Along with money from the hamlet, funding for the facility is coming from the Nunavut Food Security Coalition. 

The high cost of groceries contributes to food insecurity in Kugluktuk.

“Like, a jug of juice is $30 to $32 dollars … it’s just quite expensive up here,” said Presley Aklok, who lives in the community.

“I think it’s good that the community gives here and there, when it’s hard to get by.”

Helen Klengenberg, another Kugluktuk resident, says she sees people in the community struggling. “We often see people asking for food donations on Facebook. I really hope it [the food bank] continues to flourish,” she said.

Kyle Chmelyk helped organize and lead the food bank project.

“I hope that people have enough to sustain through the weeks to feed their families and stuff, and be fed. It's the least requirement you should have, is food,” he said. The food bank will be open once a week, on Wednesdays, at the community's youth centre.

For Michelle Hikhaitok, who also lives in Kugluktuk, the opening of the food bank "feels uplifting." “It feels good on the heart to see people having food again… in their homes,” she said.