People on summer vacation may not be thinking about the local food bank but food is needed now more than ever, says Valerie Hutton, the director of fund development for Share Family and Community Services.
Hutton said food bank shelves are emptying quickly as canned and dried goods collected during the winter are used to fill hampers for needy families in the Tri-Cities.
“We also need to remember that many of our community’s children are participants in our school district breakfast and lunch programs, so with school out for the summer, the call to support these families is even greater,” Hutton said, noting that 37% of Share’s food bank clients are children under the age of 18.
To fill shelves again, Share is holding a summer food drive with the goal of collecting 10,000 lb. of food and raising $10,000 for the program, which supports approximately 400 families in need each week.
There are several ways to help:
• visit www.sharesociety.ca and donate online;
• call Shawna at 604-529-5105 and make a donation over the phone;
• donate food directly to Share’s food bank at 2615 Clarke St. in Port Moody (go to rear of the building);
• drop a food donation off at any local grocery store;
• or host a food drive or fundraiser (you can find out more at sharesociety.ca/host-a-fundraiser).
Share is also hosting an open house Saturday, July 9 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for families to come and learn more about the food bank. There will be a charity barbecue, food bank tours and activities for kids.
As well, watch out for an upcoming grocery store food drive to take place July 16 and 17.
“Most people think about donating to the food bank during the Christmas holiday season but the food bank is a year-round operation,” Hutton said.
“Come summer, our reserve of food starts to shrink and it is only through the wonderful generosity of the local community that we are able to restock the shelves and continue to provide food hampers up until the traditional giving season again.”
Recently, a report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives painted a picture of working people who are struggling to make ends meet on annual salaries of $33,936 or less for a family of four, including growing numbers of people living in Coquitlam and Port Moody.
The report, covered in a story by The Tri-City News’ last edition and titled “Working Poverty in Metro Vancouver,” Growing job insecurity, low-paying part-time jobs without benefits and contract work are among the financial issues at the same time housing, food and other necessities are increasingly more expensive.
The report notes that the region’s booming economy relies on low-paid workers to provide security, catering, cleaning, administration and other services, and people employed in those industries face some of the most expensive housing in Canada.
Vancouver’s suburbs, often considered bastions of leafy, comfortable affluence, have growing pockets of poverty, the report states, noting that Coquitlam and Port Moody have seen growth in poverty rates above 30% between 2006 and 2012.
