As spring seeding grows nearer, Manitobans can help people in need overseas by becoming virtual farmers through the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

Virtual farmers are those who give financial support to one of the many community growing projects undertaken in support of the Foodgrains Bank.

Ben Friesen manages the SHARE grow project in Morden. He says it's roughly about $200 per acre for input costs.

"Then of course, all the proceeds we take off of that -- it's all done by volunteers -- the growers bring our own equipment in and do our own time and labour, and it get it all taken care of. And when we sell it, all the proceeds go to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank," says Friesen.

Selling crops to get money to feed people overseas may seem like an extra step, but sometimes the issue isn't with food availability but with food access.

Canadian Foodgrains Bank public engagement coordinator James Kornelsen recently got back from a trip to Lebanon, where he says there's no shortage of food, but Syrian refugees there are in a very vulnerable position.



"It's not that when they go to a country that there's no food around. They're just in a situation where they can't access it. They can't afford it being in the situation that they're in. And that is the case in other programming areas as well. For whatever reason, people are not able to access food, it's mostly the case that there is food in the region or there's food somewhere locally available. There are times when there isn't and we have to bring in food," says Kornelsen.

Canadian Foodgrains Bank recently announced a $1-million commitment to helping people affected by two seasons of drought in Somalia. The money is going to cash transfers and food vouchers, as, similarly, the issue there is largely about food accessibility.

One doesn't need to be a virtual farmer to donate, nor are donations the only way to get involved.

"Projects are looking for someone to help them with media work, a lot of organizing needs to be done, some people need to take care of the accounts... there's so many ways people can get involved," says Foodgrains Bank executive director Jim Cornelius. He says the Foodgrains Bank is always needing resources and the needs are not diminishing in any way.

Kornelsen encourages Canadians to get involved.

"One big thing that came out of this tour was a message to Canadians that international assistance like this matters so much to so many people, and is more than just, you know, a food transfer to somebody, it's hope," says Kornelsen.

Canadian Foodgrains Bank is a Winnipeg-based humanitarian aid agency working through its 15 member agencies to end hunger in 40 countries around the world.