The Golden Food Bank Society is putting new initiatives into place to meet the growing demand for service.
Facing a $100,000 deficit this year, executive director Julia Newbury asked members of Golden Town Council to apply to the Union of BC Municipalities for $50,000 on behalf of the food bank.
Council approved the March 14 request. If the application is approved, funds will come from UBCM’s Poverty Reduction Planning and Action Program.
In her presentation to council, Newbury told councillors that, like the rest of the country, Golden and Area A residents are experiencing a food security crisis, but with additional local pressures, including higher costs of groceries and fuel, lack of affordable housing, and limited opportunities for living wage employment.
“The number of adults and children receiving food through the program has gone up by over 300 per cent since 2020, and the number of hampers distributed each month is an average of two, to two-and-a-half times higher than 2020,” Newbury said.
“We are seeing more families, more individuals with full-time employment, and double-income households who simply cannot keep up with the rising costs of living.”
Golden Mayor Ron Oszust said that while council was unanimous in its support for the food bank request, on a personal level he is concerned the current business model is not sustainable.
“My open question is, what is the solution? You curtail service or increase revenues. It’s a challenge for them,” Oszust said.
“Historically, salaries were around $50,000, but this year in the budget, the salaries are $190,000, which is reflective of the fact there’s more staff to address increasing demand.”
Newbury, who is the society’s first paid executive director, says the food bank could no longer operate with a volunteer board and only one paid staff member, particularly as the organization is moving beyond simply handing out food.
New plans to address community food security are also in the works.
This spring, the food bank will partner with Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy of Golden to present “Come Cook with Me,” a cooking program for families to cook together and learn how to prepare healthy budget- friendly meals.
Starting on April 5, via Zoom, the program will run for eight consecutive weeks, with ingredients and recipes provided every week.
There will be one in-person class during the session where participants will cook and share the meal together in a local community kitchen.
Limited spots are available. To register, contact Kim Weatherall, community literacy outreach coordinator at kweatherall@cbal.org or text 250-439-9665.
“Our new Recipe of the Week meal packs challenge us to cook with ingredients we may not be familiar with,” added Newbury.
“Many of the needed ingredients are regularly found in the food bank’s pantry stores, and the packs include pre-portioned amounts of everything you’ll need to give the recipe a shot.”
As well, Newbury says if the funding request is successful, funds will be used to procure fresh foods from local farmers in Golden and the CSRD Area A and distribute them to community members accessing the core emergency food distribution program.
Newbury plans to launch a monthly community hot dinner program by renting out existing community kitchens and gathering spaces to prepare and serve healthy meals to food bank clients and other community members experiencing food insecurity.
“Meals prepared through this program will allow greater use of food diverted from the landfill through the existing food recovery program, and will be served fresh at community events with other social service providers present to make connections and share about their programs,” she said.
Otheer new educational programs such as cooking classes, food preservation workshops and gardening/growing your own food are in the works as well.
“Ensuring continuity of service at current levels requires greater staff capacity, more financial resources to procure food and other costs necessary to delivery of the program, and the development of new skill-sets and knowledge to solve the many food access challenges that come with serving a small, rural community,” wrote Newbury in her report to council.
“We’ve strengthened the organization by building up our staff, volunteer and board teams, setting down roots at our new location, and expanding our food bank garden for the dual purpose of growing food for the food bank while engaging citizens in education around gardening and sustainable food systems.”
The Golden Food Bank’s food distribution program continues to provide Golden and Area A households with up to two hampers per month, filled with fresh produce, meat, dairy, dry goods, toiletries, diapers, and formula, said Newbury.
She added the food bank’s grocery-shopping model allows users to select the items that will be of most use to them.
READ MORE: Now hiring: Assistant fire chief needed for Columbia Shuswap Regional District
