Families with limited means living on Port Coquitlam’s north side will get a little extra help in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables from a mobile food bank.
Beginning Thursday, March 8 a refrigerated food truck will drop by monthly at Birchland elementary school, 1331 Fraser Ave. PoCo, to provide healthy hampers for registered families.
“We thought to go right where people are,” said Craig Savage, coordinator of the Port Coquitlam branch of the City Reach Care Society, which is affiliated with the Broadway Church.
A similar program runs in Vancouver through the Broadway Church there, providing dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables. The mobile food bank also goes to Broadway Church’s PoCo location on Cameron Avenue, where a monthly clothing sale is also held, and with the mobile food truck now going to PoCo’s north side more people can take advantage of the service.
Savage said it’s apparent there is a need because a number of families have already signed up to get food at the Birchland site, including seniors, while about 30 families use the monthly food bank at the Cameron Avenue location.
“They are all very appreciative,” Savage said of the service, which also provided special hampers for more than two dozen families at Christmas.
Savage acknowledged that Share Family and Community Services already runs a successful food bank in PoCo, Coquitlam and Port Moody, but he said the City Reach program’s focus on fresh fruit and vegetables with a refrigerated truck makes it different.
“It’s something that’s been operating in Vancouver for several years, and I think they we’re just seeing a need for healthy options for families. It was started with a grant to promote healthy things for families — we’re kind of past that period — but we kept it going and we decided to expand out to the Tri-Cities with a similar program.”
Families pay a one time $5 registration fee to enroll in the program and are asked to bring ID for all members of the household. People can visit one or the other PoCo mobile food truck once a month, but not both.
Food comes from donors and regular suppliers as part of a partnership the City Reach Care Society has with a number of agencies. As well, fundraising is an important component of the program and on Feb. 24, the organization is hosting a “Coldest Night of the Year” fundraising walk.
As well, volunteers are welcome to assist with registration and other duties, Savage said.
“When people think of helping low income folks, a lot of time we think the Downtown Eastside, but there’s many families that are finding it’s difficult to live in Metro Vancouver. It’s an expensive place to live.”
The Food for Families mobile food bank will be at Birchland elementary school, 1331 Fraser Ave., PoCo from 2:30 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 8, Thursday, April 12 and Thursday, May 10.
For more information email [email protected] or call 604-254-2489.
