In a couple of weeks, Squamish residents will be given a gift to give back.
From Sept. 15 to the 20, Squamish Food Bank donation bags will be placed on people’s doorknobs in various neighbourhoods. It’s all a part of the sixth annual B.C. Thanksgiving Food Drive (BCTFD) in which the food bank partners with the Squamish Multifaith Association.
Organizers are looking for volunteers to assist in this task. Squamish will be divided up into a number of routes so that volunteers can deliver bags and flyers to as many households as possible. Squamish Food Bank program co-ordinator Christina Rupp is hoping for a good response to this year’s drive.
“Everyone in our community regardless of their situation should have access to food,” she stated in a press release.
Last year, the campaign collected more than 317 kg (700 pounds) of food. The volunteer-driven food bank does not receive government funding. Volunteers within the organization dedicate approximately 200 hours per month to pick up, sort and distribute food. The hours spike when the organization takes on tasks such as the B.C. Thanksgiving Food Drive.
“At the Squamish Food Bank we provide food to those experiencing hunger,” Rupp said. “With the support of the B.C. Thanksgiving Food Drive we can provide children, seniors, low-income earners, older single people, those with medical disabilities and single parent families with nutritious emergency food. This is often the difference between putting a meal on the table or not.”
The Squamish Food Bank has seen an increase in the number of seniors using the food bank in the past year, officials reported. Families on low incomes who cannot always meet their nutritional needs as well as paying the bills also turn to the food bank, Rupp noted. Approximately 30 per cent of the food bank’s clients are children under the age of 18. To volunteer in the drive email [email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected] or call (604) 892-9094 or (604) 815-7332.
