The Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society is in desperate need of weekly volunteers and has put a call out to the community to offer a helping hand.
The food bank, which provides food support to over 8,000 children, seniors, and people with disabilities across Metro Vancouver weekly, needs critical assistance at three of its 13 community food hubs located in Vancouver, Burnaby and New Westminster.
David Long, Greater Vancouver Food Bank CEO, said the organization needs help immediately.
"We've hit a critical gap in weekly volunteers for our food hubs and are appealing to the public for support to ensure we are able to deliver this important service to the communities we serve,” he said.
Long said the food bank relies on the generosity of up to 20 volunteers for a four-hour service for each site three weeks every month. The volunteers help unload up to 15,000 pounds of food and set up pop-up grocery stores at neighbourhood houses, churches and community centres. On top of this, Long said it was the warm, dignified and welcoming environment volunteers created which made them so important to the service.
“We are extremely grateful for these volunteers, but we need more to continue offering this critical service,” he said.
He said each food hub is unique and catered to the diverse needs of their community, with invaluable input from site hosts.
"Our weekly food hubs are not only a place for people to access food but they are places to build community and connect with resources like nurses, dieticians and tax help,” Long said.
Community food hubs in critical need of volunteer support are:
- Southside Community Church - 7135 Walker Ave., Burnaby
- St. Margaret's Cedar Cottage Church - 1530 East 22nd Ave., Vancouver
- New West Community Food Hub - 613 Queens Ave., New Westminster
If you or anyone you know has a few hours to spare each week, or every other week, contact Rebecca, the food bank volunteer coordinator, by emailing volunteer@foodbank.bc.ca or calling 604-880-7073.
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