On Aug. 11, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., the Comox Valley Food Bank is extending an invite to everyone to its inaugural Summer Open House.
Located at 1255 McPhee Ave. in Courtenay, this event will celebrate and thank the supporters and volunteers of the organizations as well as inform the public about the food bank’s purpose and future goals.
The event will include multiple raffle prizes, music, a barbecue, and many opportunities to learn more about the specific work that happens at the food bank.
“We want to raise awareness of what we do because some of the public probably don’t even know what our program does,” says Comox Valley Food Bank executive director David Reynolds. “Our hope is just to invite anyone that’s interested in seeing what we do and give them a tour of the facility.”
Both the increases in the cost of living and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated food insecurity around the world. The Comox Valley was not an exception to this rule, as it also experienced an increase in the number of people dealing with the issue.
The food bank noted a 64 per cent increase in service users. According to Reynolds, more than 34,000 people crossed the door of the organization this year - 30 per cent of which are children below the age of 18.
“We’re glad to offer a service like this in the Valley,” says Reynolds. “We live in a great place where food is kind of abundant, so there’s really no reason why somebody should be hungry.”
Partnering up with more than 20 local organizations and farms across the Valley, the food bank rescues more than 80,000 pounds of food from going to waste every month.
To know more about the Comox Valley Food Bank, get assistance, donate money, or volunteer some of your time, visit comoxvalleyfoodbank.ca
RELATED STORY: Comox Valley Food Bank finds a permanent location