A place that more than 1,000 people a month rely on for food is struggling.
The Salvation Army House of Hope food bank is seeing more people at its doors and uncertainty is rising whether it can keep up with the demand.
“In a month, we’re giving out about 400 hampers but over the summer we’ve been up to 430, 450,” said Capt. Ray Lamont.
“I don’t know if we’ll make it to Christmas.”
An extremely high demand start of 2015 was followed by a summer where an average of 683 adults and 366 children were served per month. Those number represent $48,905 in food hampers and $1,313 in infant care needs.
With stock steadily declining on the shelves at the new warehouse (4609 23rd Street), residents are being urged to give what they can at a couple of upcoming food drives.
Save-On-Foods and A1 Bus are teaming up with the food bank to ensure that no families go hungry this fall by hosting a week-long food drive called Stuff the Bus from Monday to Saturday in the store’s parking lot.
The goal is to stuff the bus and collect over 30,000 pounds of food to meet the growing challenges of those in need in Vernon.
“The start of 2015 has been extremely challenging for many families,” said Capt. Jean‐Curtis Plante. “As a result, we are running short on a number of essential food items to build nutritious hampers.”
Residents also have the chance to give during the B.C. Thanksgiving Food Drive Saturday.
Volunteers will be out between Tuesday and Thursday dropping bags with flyers at doorsteps. The drive, which is in its fifth year, will then see volunteers return Saturday between 9 and 11 a.m., to pick up the bags filled with non-perishables.
Considering the state the local food bank is in, organizers are hopeful residents will give even more this year.
“I put out one bag to this group last year, maybe I’ll out two bags this year,” said Uriah Kane, B.C. Thanksgiving Food Drive Vernon chapter executive director.
Lamont is also hopeful more people will step up to help their fellow residents.
“We are dependent on the generosity of this community.”
The Vernon food bank, operated by the Salvation Army for over 30 years, just recently moved its warehouse due to growing needs at the House of Hope church.
“We need space,” said Lamont, as programs such as Coffee Talk for women slipping through the cracks and Breakthrough and other services grow.
“Our long-term goal is to bring the food warehouse back on site,” said Lamont, who hopes that can be achieved over the next two to three years.
Just as the food bank is seeing more demand, so too are the other services offered by the church.
“As the face of poverty is changing, the needs are becoming a lot more known,” said Lamont, as even services such as haircuts are needed.
“We need to change this space.”
While the space is changing, the existing services are not.
“If anything, we’re committed to keep offering these services and offer more.”
The idea behind the Thanksgiving Food Drive is to help prepare the food bank prior to the October holiday.
“I’ve got routes from Lumby right out to Armstrong,” said Kane, adding that if the bags have not been picked up by 12:30 p.m., a local call-in number has been set up at 250-550-0182.
The goal is to collect 18,000 pounds of food this year (above last year’s 16,000 pounds).
The efforts are made possible by not only the donors, but groups that lend a hand such as Kalamalka Rotary, Latter Day Saints, Save On Foods and more.
Anyone interested in joining the initiative can call Kane at 250-550-0182.
Top items needed at the food bank are: pasta, pasta sauce, rice, peanut butter, pork and beans, canned meat (ham, tuna, salmon), Hamburger Helper, canned chili, cereal, ichiban instant ramen noodles, crackers, Jell-O, cake mix, coffee, sugar, size four and five diapers and other nutritious items for infants.
Local farmers are thanked for helping the food bank distribute 11,803 pounds of fresh produce this summer collected from the Vernon Farmers’ Market.
