A friendly fundraising competition between B.C. mayors is on now to support food banks in each of their nine communities.
The entire month of May will see the mayors of Chilliwack, Burnaby, North Vancouver, Coquitlam, New Westminster, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Vancouver and White Rock challenging their communities to feed people in need.
“Food insecurity can be an ongoing and often difficult problem to see in every community,” said Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove.
For example, Chilliwack’s Salvation Army Food Bank serves seniors, adults, and children, with more than 3,800 people helped every month through the food bank, soup kitchen and shelter combined.
An estimated 15 per cent of Chilliwack residents are low income, according to the 2016 Census. About 30 per cent of food bank users are children.
“We have a generous community that has long supported our local food bank,” Popove added. “I know that Chilliwack’s generosity will have a big impact on the Salvation Army’s ability to continue providing nutritious food long after this challenge has ended.”
Donations for the Mayors’ Food Bank Challenge can be made online to individual fundraising pages of participating cities.
Chilliwack’s donation page is https://mayorschallenge.foodbank.bc.ca/fundraiser/chilliwack
Last year’s winner of the Mayors’ Food Bank Challenge was the City of North Vancouver, led by Mayor Linda Buchanan, with $68,905 total money and food raised, which came to $1.20 raised per capita.
Participating cities and mayors include:
Burnaby – Mayor Mike Hurley
Chilliwack – Mayor Ken Popove
North Vancouver – Mayor Linda Buchanan
Coquitlam – Mayor Richard Stewart
New Westminster – Mayor Jonathan Coté
Port Coquitlam – Mayor Brad West
Port Moody – Mayor Rob Vagramov
Vancouver – Mayor Kennedy Stewart
White Rock – Mayor Darryl Walker
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