Chilliwack grocery store hosts spring food drive to help fill food bank shelves

A food drive has sprung up at a Chilliwack grocery store to help the growing need for food bank donations.

Real Canadian Superstore has launched its annual Spring Food Drive, which runs Thursday, March 31 through to Easter weekend.

Folks can make a food or monetary donation in-store which will go directly to supporting the Chilliwack Care and Share Salvation Army Food Bank.

“Across Canada, the rising cost of living means more people are having to turn to food banks to help keep themselves and their families fed. At the same time, food banks are also coping with rising costs in many key aspects of their own operations,” Loblaw Companies Limited stated in a press release.

“On top of two years of pandemic and a long winter, this means many local food banks are now in dire need of community support in order to continue to help feed growing numbers of hungry Canadians.”

The company’s 2021 Holiday Food Drive in December generated more than $2.1 million in in-store cash donations and more than 2 million pounds of food for food banks across the country. In British Columbia, $165,000 and more than 192,000 pounds of food were donated.

For those who are unsure of what to give, monetary donations are an easy and highly effective option. Cash provides the most flexibility for food banks to fill gaps in their operations wherever they are most needed.

“People are very community-minded in Chilliwack. Even a $2 donation at the checkout goes a long way when many people contribute,” said Tonya Lagrasta with Loblaw. “Similarly, just one or two items added your cart for the in-store donation bin become hundreds of pounds of food when the entire community gets involved.”

Along with monetary donations, food banks are most in need of non-perishable items such as wholegrain cereals, peanut butter, pasta and pasta sauces, canned fish, meat, vegetables and fruits, baby formula and shelf-stable milk products.

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