BATUS donates hundreds of rations to Medicine Hat & District Food Bank

May 8, 2020 - Tim Bryant, Western Sentinel

With the COVID‑19 pandemic putting military training exercises on hold, the troops at British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) had a small problem.

In preparation for days and weeks out on the training range, BATUS had stockpiled more than 8,000 ration packs to keep soldiers energized. But with exercises cancelled for the rest of 2020, the rations were sitting around unused and at risk of going to waste.

That was where Major Mark Simpson with BATUS at Canadian Forces Base Suffield, as well as a volunteer at the Medicine Hat & District Food Bank, had an idea: donate the unused rations to the food bank.

“These [rations] are really, really helping us out at the moment, especially with regards to people that have been housed in our local hotels for isolation,” he said.

Donating the ration packs was not as simple as picking up a few boxes and bringing them to the food bank, Maj Simpson explained. Instead, there was a fair bit of diplomacy involved between the Canadian and British high commissions to ensure the donation followed the proper protocols.

On May 5, the first batch of 850 ration packs made its way to the food bank. The initial plan was to donate batches of 850 every two weeks until the food bank said it no longer needed them, or the full complement had run out.

“The first 850 delivery, for me, was absolutely a milestone,” Maj Simpson said.

For Maj Simpson, it’s all about giving back to a community that is his home, and that has welcomed British soldiers for nearly 50 years.

“We’re just trying to spread that message that we are one family,” he said. “If we’ve got an opportunity to donate, then why shouldn’t we do that?”

Colonel Mark Ellwood, Commander BATUS, echoed those sentiments.

“COVID‑19 has affected all nations and all walks of life,” he said. “We are in a position to lend a hand to the Canadian community that has embraced our soldiers and their families over the years, and we are happy to help.”

The ration packs are typical British Army rations, Maj Simpson said. They contain the exact same contents as they would on the training range, minus a few items deemed potentially dangerous or unnecessary, such as matches and water purification tablets. In addition, everything is properly labelled and includes cooking instructions. And, true to form, they include tea, as well as coffee.

BATUS is a permanent British Army unit that has been based at CFB Suffield since 1972. It is home to 217 British military personnel, and has helped train hundreds of thousands of British and allied troops over the years.