Share Family and Community Services is once again struggling to fill the shelves of its food bank and is hoping that a Spring National Food Drive campaign will help bolster donations.
The organization typically experiences a lull in food donations in the spring and summer months and must rely on stock collected over the winter to offer its clients.
"Usually this time of year, the shelves at the food bank are starting to get pretty lean and pretty bare," said Heather Scott, Share's director of development. "And the number of people coming to the food bank certainly hasn't decreased."
This year, the food drive is getting some support from a major corporate sponsor.
The grocery store company Loblaw, which owns the Real Canadian Superstore and Extra Foods in the Tri-Cities, said it hopes to raise $1.2 million and 1.2 million pounds of food in 2011 as part of its Extra Helping program. From now until April 28, food donation bins will be placed at the company's local grocery stores allowing customers to easily drop non-perishable items, which will help re-stock the local food bank.
The initiative, Scott said, will go a long way toward helping Share at a time when the organization needs it most.
"It is always nice for people to get a little reminder," she said. "I think during the [Christmas] holidays, we are naturally thinking about giving and then we come back to a time when we are just trying to get through our own needs. Campaigns like these can really help this time of year."
During the campaign, 100% of the food donated and 70% of the cash donated in the Tri-Cities during the Extra Helping campaign will go to the Share society. The other 30% of the cash will go to Food Banks British Columbia to support provincial food programs.
Scott said the most needed perishable food items include canned meat and fish, canned soups and stews, beans in tomato sauce, peanut butter, dry pasta and pasta sauce, and baby items such as food and formula.
Donations can also be made online at sharesociety.ca.
