Space is at a premium at St. Joseph’s Food Bank in Mission.
Fridges and freezers are often full and food bank manager Sandra Cascaden says there’s a demand for an expanded building.
St. Joseph’s aims to raise $400,000 for a bigger building with $25,000 already reserved.
“We’re getting a little stockpile on our expansion because we want to expand right here — we have to expand,” Cascaden said.
Mission’s Kenny Braich is helping to fundraise as part of a “Food Bank Run Challenge”. Braich will be running the Fort Langley Historic Half Marathon on Feb. 18 and is matching up to $20,000 in donations.
Braich says it’s a tough time for a lot of families and he wanted to support St. Joseph’s.
“There’s obviously a huge need,” Braich said.
The fundraiser already reached its initial target of $10,000 with Braich now matching up to $20,000.
“Every penny counts — every penny means something. It all adds up to the full amount,” Cascaden said.
St. Joseph’s Food Bank is the lone food bank in Mission and the organization supports other organizations throughout the city.
“We’re supporting the whole community. We need the community to support us,” Cascaden said.
In addition to the expansion, Cascaden says the food bank is always in need of food. St. Joseph’s receives a lot of perishable items from its suppliers but lacks some non-perishable food.
“The non-perishables, we live off that stuff. We need to continue doing it, 100 per cent. We are so grateful. And if we didn’t get that stuff, we would not be able to feed the clients like we do. A lot of food banks give out a bag here, give a bag there — we are fortunate to give out enough food to sustain you for 10 to 14 days. That makes it easier for us because they only have to come once in a while and we can rebuild our stock up again.”
Cascaden says she’s thankful for the number of volunteers that help with the stresses of operating the food bank.
“Every other food bank runs on five to seven employees. We run on two, and our numbers are higher than theirs,” she said.
The food bank is also looking for help with garbage disposal, which costs the organization roughly $2,000 per month.
missionfoodbank.com/10000-food-bank-run-challenge/
