Tag Archives: Food Banks Canada

Food

Cortes Island Food Bank Drive To Meet Rising Local Need

The Cortes Island Food Bank recently launched a food drive to meet unprecedented need. Cortes Currents met with two of the charity’s key personal in the garage where most of the food is stored. Executive Director Filipe Figueira explained :

 “The situation is getting worse on Cortes. It is the same as across the country.  Two years ago, we had 100 client visits  a year. This year we had 600, that’s about 50 clients a month. People are really suffering economically. The good news is that we’re in a better situation to help those people. We’ve really built up the capacity of the food bank to deal with this emergency. We’ve got some really good staff and good food, but it’s not a good situation.” 

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Food Security

The Cortes Food Bank at a Critical Crossroad

The Cortes Island Food Bank has met the rapidly expanding need for its services, but says it is time the local, provincial and federal governments stepped up to the plate. Only 110 food hampers were given out in 2022, but since August they have seen at least a threefold increase of demand every month. There were 86 clients in January and 70 in February. Prior to this, the highs for both months was 12. 

“We really knew that the numbers that we were seeing in previous years were not reflecting the level of poverty that exists here.  So we were doing some strategic things to try to increase people’s awareness of the food bank. That was a major reason  why our numbers went up so significantly.  People felt that they could come to us.  They knew it was a safe place to come for support. I think our clients are already dealing with so many challenges in their lives. I encourage anybody listening, if you  could use some help,  just come to us and we’ll get you some food,” explained Beatrix Baxter, one of the Food Bank’s Directors.  

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Food Security

Cortes Food Bank Seeks to Raise $25,000

The Cortes Island Food Bank needs more funding to meet a dramatic increase in the number of people it is serving. They had 5 clients at the end of October 2022. This October there were 70. Food Bank Treasurer Filipe Figueira said the need for food banks has been increasing throughout Canada. He estimates the Cortes Island Food Bank will need $25,000 to meet the need.

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Rivers & Oceans

Why do fish farms donate $millions to local communities?

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Cermaq Canada has donated more than $2 million to local communities since 2018. Campbell River’s two other fish farm companies, MOWI Canada West and Grieg Seafood, also made substantial donations. 

Linda Sams, Sustainable Development Director at Cermaq Canada explained, “It is part of our culture and we have a shared value approach. Meaning that we are part of communities and we believe we need to add value to the communities we operate in.”

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Food Security

What Does The Surplus Food Rescue Program Mean to Cortes & Quadra?

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During a visit to the Nutri Group’s head office in Quebec, Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food announced a $50 million federal initiative “designed to address urgent, high volume, highly perishable surplus products falling under fruit, vegetables, meat and fish and seafood.” Prior to COVID, this food was sold to restaurants. Now, instead of letting it go to waste, the federal government will distribute it to food banks and local food organizations across Canada. So what does the Surplus Food Rescue Program mean for our area?

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