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La Ronge receives fresh produce donation after scurvy outbreak highlights food insecurity
After a scurvy outbreak in La Ronge, there have been government visits, press conferences, and calls for action. Today, locals will receive a large food donation with produce rich in Vitamin C to help.
Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue organization, recently partnered with the local food bank and Kikinahk Friendship Centre to handle the logistics of distributing the donation in the community. The company intercepts and redirects surplus edible food intended for waste to go to communities in need.
The opportunity to connect with La Ronge came after 27 people were diagnosed with scurvy, a condition caused by vitamin C deficiency. The donation will include over 20,000 pounds of fresh produce, including oranges, green peppers, Roma tomatoes and potatoes.
“We became aware of the situation through the reporting on the cases. We reached out to the Kikinahk Friendship Centre who we work with quite regularly to send food out there,” Katherine Hepp, operations manager for Second Harvest’s Saskatchewan division, said. “To see [scurvy] cases happening in Canada in 2025 is deeply troubling. It’s a completely preventable disease… that just speaks to food security concerns in these rural areas and what we can be doing to help address it.”