People accessing food hampers through Powell River’s food bank could find more fresh items in their monthly hampers after a new program started with Powell River Farmers’ Market.
Powell River Action Centre Food Bank manager Savanna Dee told City of Powell River councillors at a meeting on Thursday, May 4, that the food bank has completed much of its transition since being helped by Powell River Brain Injury Society (BIS) last summer, and is looking at new ideas to improve the quality of food it provides.
Current food hampers primarily consist of canned goods, pasta and rice, but few perishable items, including fresh vegetables.
One of the ideas to improve the hampers is to buy or be given surplus fresh fruit, vegetables, baking and frozen meat from local producers selling at the farmers’ market. The option became possible due to a donation this past winter that allowed the food bank to purchase commercial fridges and freezers, which provide the organization with more cold storage space.
“We’re very proud of our new appliances and the opportunities they will bring,” said Dee in her remarks to council.
The food bank, with its access to the BIS garden space and commercial kitchen, is planning to provide its users with more food literacy programs, including home vegetable gardening and cooking.
Farmers’ market manager Juhli Jobi said the idea to allow market vendors to make donations is something that has been worked on in the past, but because the food bank did not have adequate refrigeration, it did not work until now.
“This is a really easy way for us at the market, and for the farmers, to contribute at the end of the day,” said Jobi.
Jobi said some vendors have already been participating and she knows some donations of frozen pork have already been made in the first two weeks of the market being open.
“The community is very supportive of building bridges to move things to where they need to be,” she said.
March was Food Bank Canada’s Annual Hunger Count and the local food bank released statistics of how much it is being used. According to data collected, 76 per cent of the 444 people accessing its hampers were single parents with children, individuals with disabilities and seniors. One in three food bank users in Powell River are children.
Food bank grant writer Samantha Sherman said the number of people accessing food through the food bank has increased in Powell River as the cost of rent and utilities have gone up.
“People are having to spend their food money on rent increases,” said Sherman. “Parents would rather put a roof over their children’s head, and a lot of the time that money comes out of food budgets.”
Sherman said initiating the farmers’ market program was an important step, given the demographics of who the food bank serves, to improve the overall nutrition of its hampers.
“Programs like this are going to help increase the nutrition families are getting,” said Sherman. “It’s very important to us that we can increase what we provide to people.”
