This winter, food banks are looking for more of the same; anything that is shelf-stable and non-perishable.
Peter Sinclair, Executive Director of Loaves and Fishes Foodbank, says they’re looking for key items like canned fruits and vegetables, canned meat, peanut butter, spaghetti, and pasta sauce.
“We stay pretty consistent with the food recommendations when we ask people to donate. The reason for that is we found those are the staples that we consistently need, and if we give different items throughout the year it confuses people. Then we end up getting what we don’t necessarily want so we just focus on those items that I mentioned.”
Sinclair says, though, that they’re also always looking for anyone who’s willing to donate their time.
“There’s a number of things that we’re looking for… We definitely need volunteers or people wanting to give up their time. We’re certainly looking for that… As always, we’re always looking for cash donations because that allow us to make sure we keep the operations going, make sure food actually gets to the people who need it.”
Loaves and Fishes provides food to over 100 other charity organizations throughout the island, on top of having a few depots that distribute food directly.
“We act as Foodbank BC’s Vancouver Island Hub, so they source food across Vancouver Island, they ship it to us, and then we ensure it gets to the individual food banks across Vancouver Island.”
More information on how to donate or access Loaves and Fishes services, including their home delivery service, is available here.
