A $10,000 donation from Woodgrove Chrysler was matched by Island Savings to equate to a $20,000 contribution for Loaves and Fishes food bank. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

needed funds

Big donation supports Nanaimo food security program

Jun 22, 2023 | 2:06 PM

NANAIMO — A crucial summer program bolstering local food security has received a big shot in the arm.

A $10,000 donation from Woodgrove Chrysler was matched by Island Savings to tally $20,000 in cash for the Nanaimo Loaves and Fishes Community Food Bank and their Food 4 Summer program.

Abby Sawchuk, director of development at Loaves and Fishes, said people need secure access to food year round.

“In the summer, donations tend to drop significantly but the need is still very much there. We started the Food 4 Summer program several years ago as part of raising awareness in a lot of ways that the need is all through the year, not just the summer.”

Sawchuk added they want to raise $50,000 over the summer to keep the program going at full speed.

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Donations are being actively sought to keep the shelves at their Fry St. depot stocked, which also helps provide food security to communities across the central and north Island.

Thrifty Foods have also stepped up, sending 10,000 bags out into the community for people to fill with non-perishable food items and return to the food bank.

The cheque presented on Thursday, June 22 was the result of a donation from Woodgrove Chrysler.

“The charities we choose, we always want it to be a local charity,” Brandon Kot, vice president of the Kot Auto Group, said. “We don’t want it to be a charity across Canada, we always want to get involved in the local community.”

Loaves and Fishes is moving through a long and complicated process to move from their Fry St. location and into a new depot on East Wellington Rd.

In May, the organization received $7 million in provincial funding for the new warehouse, which has already cleared several local steps with the City of Nanaimo.

Donations can be made directly to Loaves and Fishes through their website.

The shelves must remain stocked over the summer months to ensure food security for thousands of Island residents. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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