Don't let families go hungry
The four Sunshine Coast BC Food Banks have partnered for a Coast Wide Food Bank Drive
Don't let families go hungry
The four Sunshine Coast BC Food Banks have partnered for a Coast Wide Food Bank Drive
JuLY 19th update
July 19th Coast Wide Food Bank Drive Update
Food Banks Campaign Reaches $100,000 Goal
The Coast’s four food banks are celebrating the generosity of the Sunshine Coast community that resulted in $100,000 of donations during their recent fundraising campaign.
“We are incredibly grateful to all the individuals, businesses, and other groups that contributed donations to our campaign,” said Susan Kimm-Jones, volunteer co-ordinator of the St. Bart’s Anglican Church food bank.
Many realtors made significant contributions to the campaign, including Remax City Realty, Sutton Group West Coast Realty, Remax Oceanview Realty, Sotheby’s International Realty, and Brynelsen O’Reilly Group.
Other corporate supporters include Sunshine Coast Credit Union, John Enevoldson Engineering, Longman Developments, Ted Brackett Construction, Cedars Inn, Patra Pizza, Holy Family Catholic Parish, Howe Sound Pulp and Paper Employees Union, Sweet Start Coffee Roaster, and St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
Corporate donations to the campaign amounted to 50% of the total. The balance were gifts from generous individuals.
“The most exciting thing is how the four food banks came together to share the work of this campaign,” said Joka Wright, volunteer lead with the Pender Harbour Food Bank. “The donations to this campaign will help us all replenish our supplies so that we can meet the local need over the next few months.”
Most of the donations will be divided among the four local food banks. The food banks have also agreed to dedicate 10% of the total gifts to an endowment held by the Sunshine Coast Foundation. The Foundation will invest these gifts and use the earnings to make future grants to the food banks.
“We are excited to have launched an endowment that will ensure a future stream of income for these much-needed services,” said Darrell Pilgrim, Director of the Salvation Army Ministry in Gibsons.
The Foundation is continuing to accept donations at www.coastwidefoodbankdrive.ca.
June 30th update
June 30th Coast Wide Food Bank Drive Update
We’ve reached 75% of our Goal. Help us to cross the finish line!
Since launching the campaign to raise $100,000, the four food banks on the Sunshine Coast have received close to $75,000 in donations and pledges.
“We are overwhelmed and grateful for the generosity of Sunshine Coast residents and businesses”, says Carey Rumba, Sunshine Coast Community Services’ Manager responsible for food programming. “We are particularly thankful for the efforts of the local real estate community.” Local realtors have pledged or contributed $25,000 to the food bank drive.
“We live in a very generous community,” says Darrell Pilgrim, Director of the Salvation Army Ministry in Gibsons. “It’s wonderful to see people who are prepared to share their own good fortune with others who are vulnerable.”
Launched on June 11th , the Coast Wide Food Bank Drive set a goal of raising $100,000 by July 15th . The gifts received will be divided among the four food banks operated on the Coast by Community Services, the Salvation Army, St. Bart’s Anglican Church, and the Pender Harbour Food Bank Society. Collectively, these four organizations help to ensure that individuals and families that are struggling with the impacts of COVID, poverty, and the high costs of living do not go hungry.
The Sunshine Coast Foundation is supporting the campaign. It is receiving all donations and issuing tax receipts. The Foundation and the four food banks have partnered to establish a permanent endowment that will provide a sustainable source of revenue for local food banks in the coming years and decades.
“While 90% of gifts that we receive are flowing directly back to the food banks, they have agreed to dedicate 10% toward a permanent endowment held by the Foundation,” says Foundation Executive Director, Wendy Francis. The Foundation also contributed $5,000 from its own funds to the endowment. It will invest this fund and use the earnings to make future grants to the food banks. “Over time, this will accumulate into something significant that will generate future grants to support food bank services”, Francis adds.
The first food bank in North America was established in the late 1960s and they became a common resource in the 1980s. At the time, food banks were intended to be temporary measures to address that decade’s economic challenges. Since then, the need has only grown with the gap between the rich and the poor. All Sunshine Coast food bank operators understand that providing food to those in need is tackling only the symptoms and not the causes. They are committed to working on the root causes of poverty in our community.
Please lend your support to this worthwhile effort and help us to reach or exceed our goal of $100,000 for this campaign. To make a gift, please visit the Sunshine Coast Foundation’s donations page.
