There are close to 200 drop-ins to our Family Place Resource Centre each month and, besides children, many of them have something in common.
“Every single family who comes in is having trouble affording food right now,” our Family Programs Coordinator, Jackie, says.
With rising housing and food costs, and inflation overall, a lot of people are feeling pinched when it comes to their grocery bills.
“It’s healthy eating that is the problem. A lot of people are telling us that it’s cheaper to go to the dollar store and get food there,” Jackie adds. “Families are having a hard time affording healthy food.”
The Family Place Resource Centre’s purpose is to provide a range of resources to support all aspects of family life – and that includes food.
Jackie works closely with the Powell River Food Bank, who shares their donations and will call when they have a surplus of baby items like formula or baby food. It all goes into the food pantry at the Centre, where participants can fill a shopping bag or two with food to take home.
Our Food Hub also supports the Family Place by preparing ready-made meals that Jackie and her team keep in a freezer where participants can help themselves. “It’s a healthy, ready to go meal. All our families need is a microwave or stove top to warm it up,” says Jackie.
Besides take-home options, the Family Place hosts a free weekly lunch where volunteers select and prepare a meal for drop-in participants at the Centre. “It’s a great way for participants to gain food literacy – to know what kinds of inexpensive healthy options are out there, and how to prepare them,” Jackie says.
And with the opening of the summer Farmer’s Market, the Famer’s Market Nutrition Coupon Program is back. This summer we’re distributing the weekly coupons to 30 Family Place families, as well as 20 Babies Open New Doors (BOND) participants.
Every little bit helps – and it’s especially heartening when the community chips in too. Recently the Centre received some donations from Gathered Farm, who brought bags of surplus salad greens to the Centre for distribution to families.
“Nobody should go hungry,” Jackie says. “We have the means to provide food to families and I’m so grateful for the team we have here, and the community that supports and donates to those who need it.”