Last year, partners of the Yukon Food Security Network served 1,029,457 meals.
The number is available thanks to the network’s new data hub focusing on food security in the Yukon.
The launch of the hub and the network’s new website was celebrated at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre in Whitehorse on Jan. 23.
The Yukon Food Security Network joins multiple organizations working within the Yukon. It is a partnership which includes the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition, the Yukon Food Bank, United Way and the Yukon First Nation Education Directorate, said Michelle Watson, who is the network’s coordinator. The network’s mandate is to eliminate food insecurity by helping to build equitable and resilient food systems in the Yukon.
Watson said early on, the need for a common space to share data was identified.
The network has been operating as a formal initiative for four years, but it was not until last year that the ability to share data finally was realized, thanks to support from Yukon Energy, said Watson.
Right now, the only data available is meals served, said David Whiteside, president of United Way Yukon. He sits on the steering committee for the network.
Dave Blottner, the executive director of Food Bank Society of the Yukon and another member of the steering committee, said there’s questions within that data that need to be teased out.
“So when we're talking about meals given out, how many children required meals? How many adults required meals? How many of them were in a rural community? What's the employment status of those individuals? This is all stuff to come in the future, that would be really helpful,” said Blottner.
Whiteside, who volunteers at the food bank, said he does ask food bank users about that information - but it is only voluntary, and not mandatory to access the service.
“I ask for that information not as a requirement, but as a way to help us,” he said.
Currently, the data hub has data about meals served in the Yukon from 2014 to the end of 2024, including meals served by organization and by year.
The hub was inspired by work done in Ontario’s Grey Bruce County, said Watson. There, the hub provided data about community gardens, meal programs and food banks, she said.
Whereas the Yukon data hub only has statistics regarding meal provision, Watson said she’d like to see information about the health of the territory’s food system included one day.
“Like Courtney Wheelton at YFNED mentioned, like, we live in a place of scarcity. We are actually more vulnerable,” said Watson. “So I think we need to be very mindful and thoughtful about how we build resilient food systems.”
With climate change and threatened U.S. tariffs spiking fears of increased food prices, we need to able to think ahead, said Watson.
Watson said that one of the largest food producers in the Yukon has told her they would need two years to be able to respond to changes in demand.
“We can produce more food here, we know that, like we're hearing that from producers, but the turnaround time to be up to that production level is about two years,” said Watson. “It doesn't just happen overnight.”
Blottner said he hopes that funders and the government pays attention to the data that is now being provided about food insecurity in the Yukon.
Watson said the Yukon government is an investor and engaging with the network, but expressed the hope to see cross-departmental engagement with the network.
“We need to have as many people moving forward, especially staring down not just the tariffs, with climate change and climate change adaptations. We need to have as many people at the table as we can, because this impacts everyone.”
Contact Talar Stockton at talar.stockton@yukon-news.com