More people than ever are lining up at the Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre in Iqaluit for free meals.
On July 6, the soup kitchen gave out 693 lunches to those in need, a total exceeding any other day since the centre opened in 1990.
“Every week in June was completely bonkers, so just because we had that one record-breaking day doesn’t mean that we haven’t been maxed out all summer,” said Victoria Perron, deputy executive director of Qajuqturvik.
Perron doesn’t know why July 6 and the preceding month saw a dramatic increase in demand.
Qajuqturvik’s previous record was set on Sept. 17, 2025, when 639 meals were served.
The food centre is on track to surpass its annual record for the number of meals served, according to Perron.
From April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, Qajuqturvik served 85,091 free meals, up from 72,900 meals during the same period in the year prior.
Perron expects even more meals will be given out in 2026-2027.
Whether Qajuqturvik can continue to meet the rising demand for free meals remains a tricky question.
“Our staff are already working hard and at capacity, doing everything possible to respond to the rising need in the community,” said Perron. “We are limited, of course, by the funding we receive and the facility in which we operate. We continue to advocate for long-term solutions to meet the rising need.”
In October 2025, the food centre said it was feeding eight per cent of Iqaluit.
Executive director Joseph Murdoch-Flowers said he wanted to double his kitchen staff to a team of 14 in order to serve multiple free meals per day, year-round.
Doubling kitchen staff would cost over $1 million.
Meetings with the City of Iqaluit and the Government of Nunavut to secure sufficient funding are ongoing, Murdoch-Flowers said, but the city is ready to give Qajuqturvik emergency funding to stay open, if necessary.
“We have not received the level of funding that would allow us to expand our daily food program beyond our current service level,” Perron said.
Qajuqturvik serves lunches Monday to Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in its building at 655 Mattaaq Cres.
Perron said the GN and City of Iqaluit were allies in the fight against food insecurity.
“A larger expansion to breakfast, dinner and weekend programs would take more than just increased funds. It would also require a new space, and increased human resources. This is a longer-term vision for the food centre,” Perron said.
By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Jul 20, 2026 at 11:51
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