I’m a volunteer driver with the Nelson Community Food Centre. Twice a month I deliver a box of healthy food to participants who face multiple barriers to accessing the food bank in person.
Passersby often notice what I am delivering and are always impressed. I hear, “What a wonderful service! How generous that stores and individuals donate this food!”
Just to clarify: that food is NOT donated by stores or individuals. The Food Centre purchases it with money from grants and individual donors. There is a finite amount of money in Food Centre coffers. Although I often hear raves about this service, no one has ever asked me how they can personally support it.
While donations of cans of beans, etc., are gratefully accepted, they are hard to divvy up equally among the hundreds of recipients. What works best is money. The Food Centre buys only healthy foods and at wholesale prices. This is the most efficient and economical way of running a food bank.
One-time donations are always appreciated but to support the healthy food program year-round, you can sign up to be a monthly donor. Even just $10 a month adds up to $120 per year. It’s painless.
The Food Centre website is nelsoncfc.ca. Their phone number is 250-354-1633.
I look forward to the day when food banks are no longer needed but that’s another story.
Phillip Jackson
Nelson
