By Spencer Sterritt

Nanaimo food bank using new program to help with summer cash crunch

Jun 8, 2017 | 3:33 PM

NANAIMO — Summer months are traditionally tough for food banks so Nanaimo’s Loaves and Fishes is trying a new way to stave off the typical downturn in cash donations.

Peter Sinclair, executive director of the Loaves and Fishes Food Bank, told NanaimoNewsNOW there’s now nine Empties 4 Food deposit bins around the City where people can drop off anything which nets a deposit, such as water bottles and pop cans.

“It’s a quick and easy way for people to make a difference.”

The bins, which were paid for by Regional Recycling, were first distributed in April. In a few short months, Sinclair said they’ve raised $3,700.

It’s an initiative which wouldn’t have been possible without a helpful suggestion from a volunteer.

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Sinclair said their volunteer had lived in Edmonton, where a similar program managed to raise more than $700,000 in a year.

“When she and her husband moved to Nanaimo, they were looking for a cause to get involved with,” Sinclair said. “They began volunteering with us and saw the program would be a good fit.”

Raising cash donations to the food bank is crucial since it costs $45,000 a month to run.

Sinclair admitted it’s a lot of money since they have such high overhead, everything from the utilities to keep their freezers running at two sites, their 14 staff and the fuel for their trucks.

He said they manage to provide $6 worth of food for every dollar donated.

According to the most recent stats from the food bank, nearly 3,360 people used their service in May, 2017 and their 13 locations across the City were visited a total of 7,600 times. More than 50 non-profits and schools also received more than $47,000 worth of food from Loaves and Fishes, according to Sinclair.

Despite the downturn in cash donations, Sinclair said Loaves and Fishes is heading into summer 2017 with more food than they’ve ever had before, thanks to their food recovery program. It collects unused but still good food from grocery stores to bolster their shelves.

“We’re making a real difference in people’s lives. We’re definitely in a good position as we come in the summer crunch.”

A list of locations for the Empties 4 Food bins can be found online.

spencer@nanimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit