This year Squamish’s food bank is recording the highest number of clients in its 17-year history.
It’s not uncommon for more than 250 people to line up outside the Alano Club on Third Avenue during the bi-weekly distribution, Squamish Food Bank Society president Lorna Van Straaten told The Chief.
And the high volume of costumers is making a dent in the society’s piggy bank. To add needed stock on top off the food donations the organization receives, the society’s board was forced to spend $3,000 to meet the need in the first quarter of 2014.
“We’ve spent more on food than ever before,” Van Straaten said. “The demand is heavy this year.”
In the midst of the increased usage, the food bank is hunting for a permanent home. Currently the operation keeps its non-perishable goods in a storage container behind the Alano Club and keeps its perishable goods in freezers at the Squamish Oceanfront Development Corp. office near Nexen Beach. The society has been told the freezers must be moved.
“We need a central location to set up house,” she said, noting the closer to downtown the better.
The organization is hunting for a 2,000-square-foot space with a washroom. That would allow the society to keep all its food in one spot and provide an area where the food bank could accept donations.
The nature of the Alano Club space and the chaos on distribution days doesn’t allow for much client privacy, Van Straaten noted. The society’s board members are crossing their fingers for a place that would make users feel comfortable and give volunteers a chance to help clients with referrals to other community programs.
If the food bank had a permanent home, the society would bump up its service to once a week. A partnering organization could use the space the remaining six days of the week, Van Straaten said, noting board members are discussing options with other Squamish non-profits.
“There are all kinds of programming that could happen,” she said. “We wanted to throw it out to the community and see if anybody has ideas.”
For more information or to contact the food bank’s board visit www.squamishfoodbank.com.
