Food banks across the Sea to Sky region are receiving a funding boost thanks to a recently approved grant from the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD).
On Dec. 13, the SLRD announced it approved $24,000 to be split equally between Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton and Lillooet’s food banks.
Each food bank received $6,000 due to resolutions passed at the November Electoral Area Directors Committee and Nov. 23 SLRD Board meetings. Half of the amount will come from the SLRD’s COVID-19 Restart Grant, while half will come from Electoral Area General Select Funds.
“Food banks are a vital service in our communities. The pandemic hit communities hard, and food banks saw a surge in demand, but the need is even greater now,” said SLRD Board Chair Jen Ford in a press release.
“More and more people are turning to food banks for help, just to be able to put food on the table, and that need doesn’t end after the holidays are over."
Demand for food bank services has grown steeply in the Sea to Sky. With inflation impacting the cost of everything from housing to food, the overall soaring cost of living has pushed numerous families to choose between rent and feeding themselves.
On average, grocery prices have risen faster than inflation. Between 2020 and 2021, food prices rose 10.8 per cent across Canada and continued to rise through 2022. In Pemberton, for example, demand has hit record levels, growing by 31 per cent in 2021 to 11,870 people served.
Like many food banks across Canada, the Pemberton Food Bank is feeling the constraints on its bottom line due to the increased need for services. Last month, Sea to Sky Community Services (SSCS) executive director Jaye Russell told Pique that $20,000 was needed to get through to the next fiscal year. The regional district funding will help tackle the need.
Electoral Area C director Russell Mack echoed the need for more support for food banks in a region-wide context as the demand for services continues to rise.
“With so many people struggling with the cost of living, we wanted to do something to help people in the region,” Mack said. “There isn’t a single community that isn’t grappling with this. People need help, and providing financial contributions to the food banks is a way to make a difference where it is most needed.”
The regional district is also encouraging people to donate to their local food banks, pointing people to the Feed the Need program, launched in 2020 by the SLRD and SSCS, that links supporters with an online mechanism to contribute to food banks in the region.
