Metro Vancouver fresh food bank sees 10-fold surge in demand during pandemic
A Metro Vancouver food bank program that provides fresh food to families in need has seen a surge in demand over the pandemic.
The CityReach Care Society’s Food for Families program is now helping 10 times the number of families it once was, and has now had to stop accepting new clients.
Executive director Simon Gau said having to limit the number they help is “heartbreaking."
“Based on our infrastructure, how many refrigerated trucks that we have, our cooler space, our freezer space, our actual footprint here, we can only process so much food every single week,” he said. “We serve 1,000 families every week, which equal(s) about 3,000 people every week.”
Gau said that’s up from 100 families a week before the pandemic.
“I don’t think that the pandemic maybe necessarily caused a ton more need, but it exposed the need,” he said. “The people that were on the edge of vulnerability were just thrust into the deep end of need, and now with inflation rates rising, it’s just nutty, and people are having a hard time putting healthy and fresh food on their tables to support their families.”
The program provides fresh food including produce, dairy, and meat nearing expiration dates and donated by grocery stores and farms.
“One hundred per cent of the food that’s been donated to this program has been rescued food,” Gau said. “This is food that would be ending up in a landfill.”
They currently distribute food at five sites in Metro Vancouver, and have also had to vastly increase their volunteer workforce since they began operations in 2009 to make that happen. They’re hoping for more volunteers, along with financial donations, and would like to expand even more to meet the need.
“We are trying to see if we can branch into other communities, and so we’re looking to buy a warehouse in Surrey,” Gau said. “It’s just a matter of finding the right community partners, the right donors that want to get on board.”
The program has three distribution sites in Vancouver, along with one in Surrey and another in Port Coquitlam. Gau said they are able to refer people to other community partners until they’re able to grow, but they’re hoping to get the help they need to be able to do more.
“We’re dealing with refugees and migrants and we’re dealing with vulnerable seniors…at-risk kids, youth that live in this area that need a leg up in the world, and we’re really trying to provide that kind of hope through a meal to them,” he said. “We’re not just giving out eggs, we’re not just giving out fresh food, we’re giving out hope.”
Correction
CityReach has clarified a majority of the donated food they receive is food nearing expiration that would otherwise end up being discarded.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air quality advisories issued in 5 provinces, 1 territory
Air quality advisories are in effect across Western Canada as smoky conditions plague some areas, according to the latest forecasts. Here's where.
'Oh my God, you're my brother': Man in his 70s discovers 6 unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
Just how bad are ultraprocessed foods? Here are 5 things to know
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Rates of cancer declining in Canada, but more work needed to save lives: projections
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
DEVELOPING Trump trial arrives at a pivotal moment: Star witness Michael Cohen is poised to take the stand
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to take the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
India's mammoth election is more than halfway done as millions begin voting in fourth round
Millions of Indians across 96 constituencies began casting their ballots on Monday as the country's gigantic, six-week-long election edges past its halfway mark. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third straight term with an eye on winning a supermajority in Parliament.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.