On Monday, the province announced $2.35 million in new funding for programs that support people experiencing food insecurity.
Food Banks BC is receiving $955,000 with $825,000 providing access to food for people affected by emergency events, such as wildfires and floods.
“Last year's devastating fires and floods created a food security emergency in BC,” said Dan Huang-Taylor, executive director, Food Banks BC.
“Communities that were completely cut off faced desperate and urgent needs. At the same time, supply-chain disruptions and price increases created heightened food insecurity for all communities in the province.”
In 2021, Food Banks BC worked to get food to communities like Lytton, Merritt, Kamloops, Kelowna and Princeton after regular access was disrupted following the widespread flooding event that took place in November.
Funds will be used to purchase and transport food and other supplies to food banks and community agencies throughout the province, including rural and remote communities.
Food Bank BC’s Resilient North Research Project will receive $130,000 to support food-security challenges in rural, remote and Indigenous communities face.
United Way British Columbia is receiving $1.4 million. About $1 million of that will support its community food hub operations.
The food hubs provide access to food, wellness programming, mental health support, employment services and child care.
“Food Hubs are a critical lifeline for many communities across the province and, with rising inflation, the need for food security is becoming greater,” said Michael McKnight, CEO, United Way British Columbia.
The funding will also support the creation of four new food hubs in the Regional District of Mount Waddington, Cawston, Vancouver’s Hastings neighbourhood and Surrey.
The remaining $400,000 will be used to develop an app to make it easier for communities to request food when they need it. The app will be piloted in Surrey, Chilliwack and the North Okanagan in 2022.
