Editor:
I am an occasional volunteer at St Bart’s Food Bank and can tell you from my first-hand experience that the people who come, just once each month, to get a box of non-perishable food items including cereal, peanut butter, soup, pasta and pasta sauce, canned vegetables, to name a few, are definitely not lazy or “looking for a handout.” These good people have simply hit hard times and need a bit of help to get them by.
Yes, some of them are between jobs right now and are unemployed. And some of them are suffering from an addiction. And others, unfortunately, suffer from a mental illness, which makes it difficult or impossible to get and keep a job. And there, but for the grace of God, go you or me or my children or grandchildren. That drives me to support St Bart’s Food Bank because I truly hope that if and when one of my family or friends needs this help, it will be there for them.
Every single dollar received by the food bank is used to purchase food for the boxes. Currently about $1,800 is spent on food every month. There is no administrative overhead, no paid staff and every job done from purchasing food, packing boxes, stocking shelves and working at fundraisers is done by volunteers.
I only wrote a cheque for $50 this Christmas. Just enough to fill two or three boxes depending on whether they are for single people or families with 3-4 or 5-6 mouths to feed. My Christmas Challenge to my family, my neighbours and friends and to the businesses that I support on the Coast is that you match or beat my donation, but if you can’t, every amount helps. All cheques payable to St Bart’s Food Bank of $25 or more receive a tax receipt. Address is 659 North Road, Gibsons, V0N 1V9.
Please put St Bart’s Food Bank on your Christmas list! Just imagine what 100 matching donations would do.
Margaret Rowe, Gibsons
