I'm Only Here for the Food!

When I started to focus a bit more into food blogging, I chose this domain name because that is what I usually do in a restaurant – the rest, service, ambiance, et al, plays second fiddle to the food. However, after I started blogging, I realized that it might be a bit insensitive – those who are in need of assistance from organizations like the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society (from here on, referred to as Food Bank). Since this is a one year anniversary for me, I thought to visit them to learn more about them and what they do in our community.

Before I continue with the Food Bank itself, I have a personal story to tell. I have mentioned several times that my family moved to Panama from China. However, that transition wasn’t seamless. My father moved there first and it took a while (more than a year) before my mother and I was able to join my father there. During that period of time, for all practical purposes, my mother was under the category of what we would here call single mothers (though she was not single). My mother told me endless time of the hardship to make end meets and the generosity she received from others to help raise me during that transition. How true this is, I can’t say. But, the fact my mother usually tells this to embarrass me in front of others add some credibility (don’t worry, this is a “Chinese thing”).

I contacted Heidi Magnuson-Ford, Director of Development, who agreed to show me the operations at the central warehouse in Vancouver. In turn I was introduced to Fareedah Rasoul Kim, Director of Communications. This is an important point I want to raise, as, while I have checked with the Food Bank for accuracy, I retain editorial control. Any mistake is completely mine.

Ms. Magnuson-Ford started by telling me the story of the Food Bank, which was opened in 1982 as a result of the economic recession in 1981. What was supposed to be a one time instance 25+ years ago, it is still currently open, as the the need is still exists. To paraphrase Ms. Magnuson-Ford: “The Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society is one of those organizations you wish it has to close because there are no more customers”. In fact, in a history-repeats-itself turn of events, the economic situation has pushed more and more people to use the Food Bank. And, to make things worst, donations have been decreased during this same time period.

In a business, normally, a semi-empty warehouse might not be so bad; however, in the case of the Food Bank, that is not a case.

With that in mind, who use the Food Bank? Customers can come from any strata of society; can be single person; can be a family; can be people with fixed income; people who due to unfortunate circumstances of life are in need of assistance. In other words, it can be pretty much anybody. The most important part we must keep in mind is that they are in need of help and shouldn’t be judged based on that need. As Ms. Magnuson-Ford told me, at times, people going to the Food Bank might not have eaten in days and their judgment might be slightly impaired.

Eggs are usually a form of protein included. Also fruit (here, apple), packed and ready for delivery.

On that note, when a person needs assistance, he/she can visit the central warehouse (at most once per year) and, afterwards, be provided with the details of the Food Bank location closest to him or her. Based on their need, different packages might be given, i.e., the need for a single person will not be the same as the one for a family of four. The contents of the package include fresh fruit – in the form of apples, some proteins (in the form of eggs, canned meat, peanut butter, et al) and so on. In addition to these, depending on the recipients, they can receive additional help. For example, for babies, diapers can be provided; for small children, some snacks and so on.

Most donations are usually in the form of perisable goods; produce and eggs are purchased.

That brings the big question: How does the Food Bank obtain all these? While there are different source, it can be broken down into two general groups: donations and purchases. Donations are straight forward, i.e., food donated by either companies or at drop-off locations. As for purchases, it depends on the need and the item itself. For instance, fresh fruit, vegetables and eggs are purchased. However, the key detail here is that for each dollar donated, the Food Bank is able to purchase the equivalent of three dollars. Talking about purchasing power! When these arrive at the warehouse, they are sorted and then packaged accordingly. In the case of some products (rice, pasta, et al), which are brought (or bought) in bulk, they are then packed into smaller bags for distribution (again, for single person or for family). In these last two steps, the Food Bank is heavily reliant on one source of help: volunteers/donors. I want to emphasise this last point, as Ms. Magnuson-Ford explained, some of the volunteers who are currently helping the Food Bank have been previously recipients of help of the Food Bank and are aware of the need. It is their own way to return to the community…

Donations ready to be sorted before packaging.

While we were looking at the different supplies stored, I couldn’t help notice something: a great amount of the food provided by the Food Bank is in the form of cans or packages, i.e., processed food. While it is true that providing help is key, I had to ask if the Food Bank had taken into consideration the health impact of having these as your only food source. Ms. Magnuson-Ford agreed that, when an individual is working jobs to make ends meet, when he/she arrives at home, the last thing they might be interested in would be to take time to prepare a meal and resort to methods like “cooking” from the microwave – something that I myself must confess have done during parts of my life. But, again, we should not make judgment based on that. Instead, what Ms. Magnuson-Ford told me of a Food Bank project called Fresh Choice Kitchen, which purpose is to provide training and resources to community kitchens across BC. As in the community kitchen itself, as the name might suggest, it is a place where people gather to learn about food and food preparation and to cook and eat together. Some of the meals can be taken home and frozen to provide a more balanced diet. And, of course, in the process, he/she is learning very important skills: shopping carefully for a balanced diet and cooking.

Packages ready to be distribute to the differente centres.

At this point, Ms. Magnuson-Ford provided some staggering statistics: Easily over 25% of the food produced in North America is wasted. Around 40% of recipients are children. And around 25,000 people receive help from the Food Bank; however, chances are more people actually need help in a way or another. Such statistics hit really hard, considering that Canada is a first world country, we still have fellow citizens who can barely make ends meet. This brings the next important question…

Given there is the need, how can we help? As mentioned above, the Food Bank relies in volunteers for part of their operations and generosity of others. Help in any form are always welcome and, in the case of scheduled monthly financial contributions, it helps the Food Bank budget for purchases of items in need. Without such contributions, the Food Bank would be similar to an empty pantry.

Ms. Magnuson-Ford, thanks for your time on showing me the Food Bank and explaining me how it helps others. It was indeed a humbling experience. I hope this post will help change people’s perception of the Food Bank and that a problem exist. Most importantly, encourage those of us who are more fortunate help those in need.

For more information, please check the following links:

• Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society – If you are in British Columbia.
• Food Banks Canada – If you are elsewhere in Canada.
• Google link searching for “Food Bank” – If you are outside of Canada, hopefully it will pick your location accordingly.

A donation was made to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank plus registration to a monthly giving plan.