A rural Manitoba food bank says a national network's new accreditation program doesn’t reflect the realities of small communities facing rising food insecurity.

Killarney Food Bank secretary Petchie Hawkins says the more than 30-year-old volunteer-run food bank is already stretched thin.

Next to the food bank in the southwestern Manitoba community of about 2,400 sits a small community garden. Its harvest, along with donations of farm fresh eggs from local farmers, helps feed people in Killarney — something that new national standards Food Banks Canada introduced in 2024 say may not be allowed.

Getting accreditation through Food Banks Canada, a national network, would help the Killarney organization qualify for grants.

However, signing on to the national standards would require a lot

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