Vancouver food bank partners with 24 new programs as record 15K people seek support monthly
The Greater Vancouver Food Bank has partnered with 24 new community agencies this year alone, as the organization races to meet record-breaking demands that are showing no signs of slowing.
In January, the food bank welcomed its biggest batch of new additions to its Community Agency Partners program to date, bringing the total to 141.
The support provided to the groups—which include housing agencies, after-school programs and First Nation centres—serves up to 450 people each month, according to the GVFB’s website.
Cynthia Boulter, the food bank’s chief operating officer, says that when she joined the foodbank in 2018, there was a four-year waitlist for the CAP program, and only 75 organizations were receiving support.
“There wasn’t enough food at the food bank to allow them to take on more agencies and share,” Boulter told CTV News on Tuesday.
Since then, she says the GVFB has repaired and revitalized donor relationships, taken on more food vendors, ramped up fundraising efforts and cleared the waiting list.
“We know many of our community agencies that we support are not accepting new clients and we continue to. So we continue to find new donors of food—we focus a lot on food that would have been going to landfills,” she said.
‘HOW MUCH MORE CAN WE DO?’
Boulter says the food bank currently serves an average of 15,000 people each month, with between 800-1,000 of those individuals receiving support for the first time.
“We have had conversations around ‘What is our ceiling? How much more can we do?’” Boulter said. “We are setting records every month for foot traffic, the number of people walking through our doors. Unfortunately we just keep breaking them and if it’s not the month before it was the month previous to that. We just have really never seen anything like it.”
Of all the people accessing GVFB services, Boulter says 60 per cent reside in Vancouver.
“It’s about the most expensive city in North America, so that’s not surprising,” she said.
FOOD INSECURITY AMONG STUDENTS
Origin Church at the University of British Columbia, which primarily serves graduate students and their families, is one of the GVFB’s top food receivers, according to Boulter.
“During the pandemic, we took some federal funding that we had never received before and we purchased about $200,000 worth of refrigeration for potential community partners. The church stepped forward and has taken on this role on behalf of the students, which is really amazing,” Boulter said.
She adds that international students are especially prone to struggling with food insecurity, since it can be difficult for them to find paid work that fits with their visa restrictions and academic commitments.
“Not to mention, you know, that the money they had saved potentially didn’t last as long as they thought it would—particularly with inflation,” said Boulter. “So when we literally heard about starving students at UBC—like fainting students, and students dumpster diving, we started looking into how we could get food out there.”
DISTRIBUTION PROBLEMS
Boulter would like to see the food bank receive more funding for refrigeration equipment, arguing it would allow for more fresh, nutritious food to be delivered to people in need.
“There’s no reason for people to be going to bed hungry—that’s the heartbreaking piece,” she said. “There’s not a shortage of food, it’s a distribution problem.”
Boulter encourages more people to go online to explore volunteer opportunities with the GVFB.
“We couldn’t live a day without our volunteers. Literally not a day,” she said.
“We all know food banks aren’t a solution to food insecurity, but we aren’t a Band-Aid. The difference this food makes in people’s lives—it really is saving lives.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Montreal doctors' breakthrough discovery about causes of cerebral palsy giving hope
A breakthrough discovery made by doctors at the Montreal Children's Hospital about the causes of cerebral palsy is giving new hope to one West Island family.
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
For years she thought her son had died of an overdose. The police video changed all that
Austin Hunter Turner died in 2017, on a night that his mother has rewound and replayed again and again, trying to make sense of what happened.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Why Kim Kardashian is being sued for 'knockoff' furniture
The estate of minimalist contemporary artist Donald Judd filed a lawsuit against Kardashian this week, claiming the fashion and beauty mogul promoted 'cheap knockoffs' of his furniture designs.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries 'Roots,' has died. He was 87.