With the cost of buying groceries at an all-time high, is seeing a dip in donations and a sharp rise in the number of people needing food.
鈥淧eople can鈥檛 afford to buy food right now,鈥� said Vijay Naidu, a manager of 性视界传媒 Food Bank.
鈥淭he cost has gone up so much and people are telling us that most of their money goes to bills and rent and mortgages, and they end up with not enough for food.鈥�
Donations at the food bank have dropped 30 per cent this year, and the number of clients have gone up by 23 per cent, according to Naidu.
鈥淎nd we are serving over 17,000 clients per month, and places like the Guildford depot, where we are every Wednesday at Cedar Grove (church), we have more and more people coming.鈥�
On Friday (Aug. 11), on behalf of BC Lions, offensive lineman Andrew Peirson dropped off a few bags of donations at the food bank鈥檚 Newton warehouse, on 78 Avenue. The food was collected from season-ticketholders during a recent road-game viewing party held at the Lions鈥� training facililty in Whalley.
BC Lions player brings donations to ahead of Saturday's "Tackle Hunger" game at (w/). Bring food/$$$ for photo with Grey Cup.
鈥� Tom Zillich (@TomZillich)
"People can鈥檛 afford to buy food right now": food bank manager.
STORY:
Last year Peirson was featured in a Now-Leader series of stories about the high cost of living.
鈥淎 lot of families are in need these days,鈥� Peirson said Friday. 鈥淲e鈥檙e here to raise awareness about how much families are in need and specifically, something that鈥檚 near to me, is how many children use the food bank.鈥�
Close to 47 per cent of 性视界传媒 Food Bank鈥檚 clients are under the age of 18, according to the organization鈥檚 stats.
Saturday (Aug. 12) at BC Place Stadium, will team up to 鈥淭ackle Hunger鈥� again in an annual food drive, during a home game against Calgary .
Football fans who bring food and cash donations can get their photo taken with the Grey Cup, the CFL championship trophy. Kickoff is 4 p.m. for the 鈥淏est In the West鈥� game, to include Wall of Fame inductions of Wally Buono and 鈥淲aterboys鈥� founders Dennis Skulsky, Moray Keith, Tom Malone and Jamie Pitblado. .
A recent report Food Banks Canada says food bank usage is up 35 per cent from 2019, and one in seven clients is employed but has trouble keeping up with rising grocery costs and inflation.
Meantime, every few months volunteers with 性视界传媒鈥檚 Sutton-Premier Realty deliver cash donations and non-perishable food to 性视界传媒 Food Bank, then work four-hour shifts organizing the warehouse and preparing packages for distribution.
Company associate said he wants to pay-forward the kindness he received years ago.
鈥淚 like volunteering at the food bank because, unfortunately, we all go through a few tough stretches in our life journey, and about 20 years ago after a divorce and some good and bad decisions I made, I had an immediate need to utilize the services of the food bank,鈥� Newberry said in a news release.
鈥淭hey provided me with groceries for about six months and this helped me get my act together and get out of that rut.鈥�
Newberry encourages people to chip in at the food bank because it鈥檚 鈥渇un, and there鈥檚 a great sense of camaraderie. It brings me and all of us so much joy.鈥�
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
Like us on Follow us on and follow Tom on
