The Greater Vancouver Food Bank is asking Burnaby residents to dig deep in their cupboards to help feed their low-income neighbours.
The food bank is hosting its first-ever citywide donation drive and has distributed more than 38,000 bags to Lower Mainland households to collect non-perishable goods.
“This is the time of the year where we are looking to the community, after summer, to help us collect food,” said Ariela Friedmann, the food bank’s communications director.
Participating cities are Burnaby, New Westminster, North Vancouver and Vancouver. Volunteers will be back on Sept. 17 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. to collect the bags from people’s doorsteps. There are three foods in high demand: canned fish, canned fruit (in natural juices, not syrup) and beans of any kind.
“These items are in low, low supply on our shelves, and they are the items that make it easier for somebody who is hungry to have a more balanced meal,” Friedmann said.
The food will go to people in communities with food bank distribution points, including Burnaby.
“The people in your communities will be the beneficiaries,” she said.
Anyone who did not receive a bag at home can still help by dropping donations off at Save-On-Foods at 4469 Kingsway in Burnaby on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fast facts on food banks - Source, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank
- Each week, 26,500 people in Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver, and New Westminster use the food bank
- 20 per cent are children, and 19 per cent are seniors.
- The food bank distributes 4.1 million pounds of food every year.
