The food bank in West Kelowna, B.C., has doubled in size to meet the growing needs of the community.
“This is a huge day for us,” said Trevor Moss, the Central Okanagan Food Bank’s CEO.
Located at 3710 Hoskins Rd,, the new 3,700-square-foot food bank was celebrated at a grand opening on Tuesday.
The new space allows for increased food storage capabilities as more people access services.
‘Year over year there was a 31 per cent increase in West Kelowna in clients accessing the food bank,” Moss said. “That’s unfortunately tremendous growth,” Moss said.
Moss said the West Kelowna location is seeing nearly 70 new households access services every month.
“There always used to be a safety net out there. I think that safety net has been removed and people are now just hanging onto the ropes,” Moss said. “That’s what’s happening in our society. This is what’s happening in our economy.”
Lee Taylor is a senior on a fixed income and has come to rely on the food bank to help make ends meet.
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“What do you do? You got to eat,” Taylor said.
Nancy Nickel has volunteered with the organization for 36 years and has seen the demand grow first hand.
“I’m sad but I just want to be there to help them and if they need a hug, I want to be here to give it because there is a lot of sadness out there,” Nickel told Global News.
The food bank in West Kelowna was one of the first food banks to open in Canada in 1982.
Called Robes, Loaves and Fishes, the food bank began operating out of the Emmanuel Church on Hebert Road.
“It was a starting point and we could help people and it grew from there,” said Nickel as she described those early days operating the food bank out of a closet-sized room.
The first food bank in the country opened in Edmonton in 1981.
“One of the reasons why food banks were started up was just to to meet that immediate need,” Moss said.
“I don’t think anyone realized that, even to this day, that people would need us as much as they do.”
The Central Okanagan Food Bank has leased the new West Kelowna location and is working towards building it’s own, permanent facility in the coming years.
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