Hamperville Nanaimo project is launched for Christmas 2014, and asks for much-needed volunteer assistance and food donations as it continues to make a difference in the community
Christmas Hampers Nanaimo — known as Hamperville Nanaimo — is a community organization formed 11 years ago by the Loaves and Fishes Community Food Bank and The Salvation Army of Nanaimo. The groups gather food and cash donations and distribute them to the community in need at Christmas time. In 2013 Hamperville served over 5,400 people and distributed 2,450 hampers. Organizers expect that this year an equal number of hampers will be needed.
Visits to food banks and meal programs all across Canada have increased again this year
Far too many Canadians are being left behind and count on food banks to get by, according to HungerCount 2014, a national study released last month by Food Banks Canada. In a typical month, food banks in Canada now provide food and other supports to more than three quarters of a million separate individuals – 841,000 people. This means 170,000 more people each month are seeking assistance, compared to when the economic downturn started in 2008 – a 25% increase.
The job market is very tough right now. The unfortunate combination of low-paying jobs, inadequate supports for the unemployed, and a lack of training opportunities for Canadians is keeping food bank use near record levels. — Katharine Schmidt, Executive Director of Food Banks Canada
Nanaimo’s Loaves and Fishes Food Bank served over 7,000 people last year. Executive director Peter Sinclair told Nanaimo News Bulletin that the food bank distributes about $110,000 worth of food to the community every month, but to bring those food donations in, sort, store and redistribute them costs about $35,000 a month. This leads to fund raising challenges during the summer, for example, when donations dip.
The organization is also working “to raise $550,000 by the end of December to buy a warehouse on Fry Street that’s more than 10 times the size of its current facility [image above]. According to Loaves and Fishes, its 500-square foot storeroom on Farquhar Street doesn’t have enough space to accommodate both food donations and the volunteers who sort and distribute them. The food bank has raised $40,000 in community donations so far and is currently seeking financial assistance from the City of Nanaimo.” [Nanaimo News Bulletin, November 30, 2014]
Nanaimo Daily News reports that Nanaimo’s outgoing city council has voted to defer a decision on funding a new, larger warehouse for the Loaves Fishes Community Food Bank, allowing the newly-elected council to make a decision instead.
Changes for this year
Nanaimo News Bulletin reports that this year, people who register with Hamperville will have the opportunity to choose what goes in their hamper. Peter Sinclair, Loaves and Fishes’ executive director, said there are a number of different categories. Based on the number of people in their household, clients will get to choose various amounts of food items from each category.
We visit the Hamperville Nanaimo launch and share comments from Salvation Army and Loaves and Fishes officials.
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Food Banks Canada: HungerCount 2014 (November 4, 2014)
