The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) is providing additional funding to several local food banks.
The food banks in Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton and Lillooet will each receive $6,000 for a total of $24,000. According to a news release, half of this amount comes from the SLRD’s COVID-19 Restart Grant and the other half comes from the Electoral Area General Select Funds.
“Food banks are a vital service in our communities. The pandemic hit communities hard and food banks saw a surge in demand, but the need is even greater now,” said SLRD Board Chair, Jen Ford, in the release. “More and more people are turning to food banks for help, just to be able to put food on the table, and that need doesn’t end after the holidays are over.”
The release reminded local area residents and businesses of the Feed the Need program that was started in 2020, which encourages people to donate to local food banks in the region. The program was started by the SLRD and Sea to Sky Community Services “in order to meet the immediate and skyrocketing demand for access to emergency food in the region.”
Electoral Area Director committee chair, Russell Mack, said the additional funding to the food banks was all about helping residents in the Sea to Sky Corridor while cost of living expenses increase.
“There isn’t a single community that isn’t grappling with this,” said Mack in the release. “People need help, and providing financial contributions to the food banks is a way to make a difference where it is most needed.”
If interested in donating to a food bank, please visit the Feed the Need program website at SSCS.ca/Feed-The-Need where you can select any of the four local food banks or donate to the SLRD regional fund where the funds will be distributed to where the need is the greatest.
