Members of the CFUW Comox Valley dropped off several bags of food, mittens, and toiletries when they visited the food bank in Courtenay recently for a tour.
Susan Somerset, food bank manager, and Faye Friesen, treasurer, showed the women how the donated items are sorted and distributed.
The group learned that:
• The Comox Valley Food Bank serves 667 households per month, a total of 1,200 clients.
• Clients can get one bag of food per month, which may last four or five days. They can also get fruit and vegetables once a week and they can get bread anytime.
• Most clients have jobs that pay minimum wage. Many are elderly. About 30 per cent are children.
• Many grocery stores partner with the food bank and provide it with stale-dated products and things in damaged packages. The food bank also purchases discounted items from these stores.
• The food bank always needs more fruit and vegetables. If you plant a garden each year, plan to ‘grow a row’ for the food bank.
The Comox Valley Food Bank accepts home canning, such as fruit, vegetables, and jams, as long as the date of processing is on the jar.
• The food bank needs more volunteers.
Supporting the Food Bank is one of the ways that the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) in the Comox Valley gets involved with the local community. New members are welcome. Check us out at https://sites.google.com/site/cfuwcv/home.
The CFUW Comox Valley is a non-profit, non-partisan club of women that promotes the education of women, stimulates the interest of members in public affairs and affords an opportunity for united opinion and action.
— Canadian Federation of University Women