Susan Aglukark arrives in Iqaluit with gifts of food

The cupboards at Iqaluit's Food Bank are getting stocked up today thanks to the fundraising efforts of a Canadian celebrity who hasn't forgotten her northern roots.

Inuk musician Susan Aglukark arrived in town yesterday, bringing with her about 400 kilograms of food and a message for Nunavummiut.

"We — other Inuit, other people in southern Canada — we get it, we hear the message and we're doing what we can to help you."

Since October, she's been fundraising with the Arctic Rose Project (named after her first album in 1992) to buy food and ship it to the North.

They raised about $4,000 over two months.

A third of it will be sent to the Deacon's Cupboard food bank in Rankin Inlet.

The remainder is being delivered to the Niqinik Nuatsivik Nunavut Food Bank in Iqaluit.

Stephen Wallick, the chair of the food bank board, says it's enough to last them for at least a month, or maybe two.

"We serve about 400 to 500 individuals every two weeks — about 120 households. I would think that food would help us for at least two distributions."

Wallick says they usually see more people coming from Nunavut’s smaller communities during the holidays.

"So there's more need during the holidays, and especially after the first of the year too."

This is a seasonal campaign, but Aglukark says she would ultimately like to see grocery stores adopt food banks across the North.