BC Dairy is donating $50,000 to Food Banks BC.

The donation comes as the result of the Eat Good, Do Good campaign, which took place between May 9 and June 19.

BC Dairy partnered with 31 local restaurants in Metro Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna to offer menu items featuring locally made dairy products and pledged a donation to Food Banks BC for each order.

In total, customers ordered 49,735 qualifying meals.

鈥淲hen people in our communities鈥攐ur friends and neighbours鈥攁re struggling with food insecurity, it鈥檚 something that really hits home for local dairy farmers,鈥� says Holger Schwichtenberg, chair of BC Dairy and a dairy farmer in Agassiz.

The Eat Good, Do Good program helps families struggling with food security while also helping drive business to restaurants recovering from the pandemic.

Restaurants that participated include Jam Cafe, The Old Spaghetti Factory, Fable and Bliss Bakeries.

鈥淔ood Banks BC have been there for so many, including workers in our industry, that were among some of the most significantly impacted through the pandemic,鈥� said Ken Lobson, executive vice president of the Old Spaghetti Factory, which had eight participating locations.

鈥淭here are angels at Food Bank BC that continue to be there for individuals and families that need help. We were excited to profile some of our menu items that are made with the delicious ingredients produced by BC鈥檚 dairy farmers and we applaud them for their generous support of this program.鈥�

Thanks to high costs and the pandemic, B.C. food banks have seen an 83 per cent increase in new clients between Dec 2021 and March 2022, said Food Banks BC executive director Dan Huang-Taylor.

鈥淚n terms of the best time to support food banks, simply put, that鈥檚 whenever someone can, but particularly right now. The food banks are seeing more demand, fewer donations, both from food and funds, and they鈥檙e paying more for the food that they do need to buy, so they are struggling. Any additional support that someone can offer is going to be hugely appreciated and have real impact.鈥�

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