When you get your groceries this week, could you throw a few extra items in the cart for others in town?
The annual BC Thanksgiving Food Drive is coming to a door near you on Saturday, Sept. 24.
In 2021, they were able to visit 4,500 homes, and collect more than 7,500 pounds of non-perishable food for the Squamish Food Bank, according to Geraldine Guilfoyle of the Squamish Multifaith Association (BCTFD), which co-ordinates the district event in partnership with the Squamish branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the Squamish Food Bank, which is also known as The Market.
In Squamish, the provincewide event involves some 100 volunteers.
How it works
• Community volunteers will deliver flyers and drop boxes during the week of Sept. 19 to 22 to various neighbourhoods in Squamish.
• Donation bags and boxes of non-perishable food will be picked up on the morning of Sept. 24 and brought directly to The Market at 37871 – Third Ave. (Please note that the foodbank cannot accept expired food. )
The need is great
According to its manager, Emma Cox, the Squamish Food Bank has seen a 47% increase in the number of people accessing its services since January 2022.
In January 2022, the Squamish Food Bank served 1,106 clients. Come July 2022, this number jumped to 1,628.
As the local population continues to increase and the cost of living continues to rise, the expectation is that the number of folks accessing the food bank will also continue to increase.
Increasing access
Historically, the Squamish Food Bank was open every two weeks and served approximately 120 clients per month, according to Cox.
"Acknowledging that more needed to be done to centralize food rescue in Squamish and increase access to food for those in need, over the last two years, the Squamish Food Bank increased access to the food bank,” she said.
It is currently open four days a week.
The food bank’s recovery program rescues 30,000 pounds of food a month and has a monthly food budget of $8,000 to purchase more food, but that is still not enough to “feed the need," Cox said.
Thus, this upcoming food drive is important.
"Any food we receive through the Thanksgiving Food Drive will have a positive impact on our operation, our participants and helps us get closer to reaching our vision: 'People, planet and food are valued, all are fed, and the Sea to Sky community is engaged within a circular food economy," Cox told The Squamish Chief.
"The annual BC Thanksgiving Food Drive is an incredible opportunity for the community to support the work we do at The Market and to help us create access to nutritious food in a dignified and empowering way."
For more information or to volunteer, please contact [email protected].
