Retailers arent the only people who rely on the Christmas season to keep them afloat through leaner months of the year.
Across the Lower Mainland, food banks are ramping up campaigns in the hopes that donations will tide them over into the new year.
A report by Food Banks British Columbia says more than 90,000 people accessed Food Banks in the province this year. Thats down slightly from an all-time high of 94,000 in 2010, a 16 per cent jump from pre-recession levels in 2008.
But one East Vancouver food bank program has seen its numbers rise while its funding has been cut in half.
The CityReach Care Society, a non-profit based on Slocan Street, is now in year four of its Food For Families program, a food bank focusing on fresh, local produce, whole grains and dairy with complementary nutrition and cooking classes. This time last year CityReach was serving 170 families each week, that number has since grown to 220 families, accounting for more than 850 people, says executive director Tammy Cheetham.
Were the only nutritious food bank and the only one based in this area, Cheetham said of the rise in numbers. And the fact that we are in a community where everyone facing displacement from downtown is moving into this area. So the need is moving its way out of the core of the city to the outskirts.
Meanwhile, funding for the program was halved this year when a three-year funding deal with World Vision came to a close. World Vision had supplied 75 per cent of its $200,000 annual budget for the first three years with the understanding Food For Families would sustain itself through years four and five. Without those funds, Cheetham says the program has subsisted on a budget of just $95,000 for its fourth year, something achieved through drastic restructuring, cuts to staffing costs and rigourous pursuit of in-kind donations. Applications for other grants have been unsuccessful, says Cheetham, because their requirements are often too specific and would require an overhaul of the already-successful program.
The increase in demand, combined with the decline in funding, has led CityReach to close registration for its Food For Families program, though it hopes to open it up again in the spring if the society can convince more corporate funders to come on board. At this point, were kind of maxed out, says Cheetham, adding she chose to close registration rather than compromise on the quality of services for her clients.
CityReach is accepting donations and volunteers for its Boxes of Love Christmas hamper event on Dec. 17. It is also in need of canned meats, vegetables, healthy breakfast cereals and corporate sponsorship. Further info is at CityReach.org. The Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society is also in need of donations of non-perishable food items. Find out more at FoodBank.bc.ca.
