Richmond Food Bank had a record Thanksgiving food drive this year with 18,000 pounds of food collected, despite some COVID-19 restrictions.
The number of Richmondites accessing the food bank has risen during the pandemic – early on, up to 12 new households were registering per week – and the food bank had to close some of its satellite locations because of provincial health orders.
But the community still came out and donated 7,000 more pounds of food at this year’s Thanksgiving drive than last year – this and other food drives leading up to Christmas will keep their shelves stocked well into spring, explained the food bank’s executive director Hajira Hussain.
The food drive is spearheaded by the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints in Richmond, but volunteers also come from Canadian Martyrs, St. Paul’s parish, Tzu Chi Buddhist Foundation, Tung Chen Yuen Buddhist Association and Nido Montessori. Furthermore, student council members from McRoberts and Cambie secondary schools also got youth involved, Hussain explained.
“We can’t thank each and every individual who played a role in making this year’s food drive such a huge success,” she added.
While donations have been generous to the food bank, what is missing as people social distance is the community feel, Hussain said.
The main depot is usually a “busy, happy place,” but now many volunteers have to work in isolation, packing hampers or doing other tasks. And clients need to stay outside while picking up their food.
“Our volunteers knew a lot of our clients by name – it was a real family,” Hussain said.
The number of households registered at the food bank rose from 1,045 in the first months of the year to 1,319 in July.
Through the federal government, Richmond Food Bank received some grants, and this will give them a “cushion” to get through the second wave of COVID-19, Hussain said.
School meal programs, though, have been cut because of COVID-19. Volunteers used to deliver about 100 to 150 sandwiches to high schools every week and some used to do pancake breakfasts at elementary schools. These are not happening this fall, Hussain said.
The schools also do food drives, for example, the Halloween “We Scare Hunger” drive, and Hussain is not sure whether these will go ahead this year.
During the pandemic, however, there have been some positive aspects, Hussain explained, for example, they set up online registrations that takes care of the first hurdle of accessing food bank services.
For more information about Richmond Food Bank, go to richmondfoodbank.org or call 604-271-5609.
