Rising food prices have been driving more people to BC food banks, which were already under strain because of climate-change-related disasters and COVID-19.
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A $1,200 food donation will provide thousands of meals for flood victims and schoolchildren in Abbotsford and Chilliwack.
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The money paid for 550 kilograms of pulses, the edible seeds of plants in the legume family, including beans, chickpeas, lentils and vetches, which will provide food for five to 10 thousand meals for local families, according to Helena McShane, a community relations manager at SPUD.caa grocery delivery service specializing in local and organic food, who organized the donation.
The donation went to Chilliwack Bowls of Hope, a charity that supports flood victims in Yarrow and Sumas flats. Bowls of Hope also provides meals for more than 900 children in 24 Chilliwack schools.
“Without support, these families go hungry,” Cindy Waters, executive director of Bowls of Hope, wrote in an emailed statement. “Pulses are an incredible tool in the fight against hunger and I think that World Hunger Day offers us a great opportunity to educate our local communities about lower cost, healthy options.”
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Bowls of Hope is providing food support to people in the Fraser Valley impacted by last year’s flooding in the form of groceries, grocery gift cards, hot and pre-made meals, and connecting people to other food-related resources.
“SPUD have been so smart in how they give, to figure out how they can support these families in the most impactful way possible and getting us talking about how we can feed more people for less,” Waters wrote.
Rising food prices have been driving more people to BC food banks, which were already under strain because of climate-change-related disasters and COVID-19.
A recent Canada Food Price Report forecast an overall food price increase of five to seven per cent in 2022, or $966 for a family of four — the highest annual rise since the report’s inception 12 years ago. The jump comes on top of noticeable increases in 2021.
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Rising food costs can be the tipping point into food insecurity for families, according to Emily-anne King, co-executive director of Backpack Buddies, a non-profit group that provides a bag filled with meals and snacks for about 4,000 BC schoolkids each weekend .
The number of people visiting the Chilliwack food bank rose by nearly 25 per cent at the beginning of the year, according to coordinator Don Armstrong.
“When the floods hit we wanted to help in any way we can,” McShane said. “I was able to get $1,000 and turn it into 10,000 meals.”
McShane said in addition to being affordable and nutritious, pulses are good for the planet: “They’re a superhero in farming.”
Pulses are healthy, nutritious and easy to cook with. Growing them also promotes sustainable agriculture, as the crops help decrease greenhouse gases, increase soil health and use less water than other crops.
A variety of recipes made with pulses can be found at pulses.org.
— With files from Glenda Luymes
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