December 2008: Food bank offers good rate of return

  As Christmas approaches I’m struck by some rare thoughts about our local food bank. Many people may not even know we have one and I have to admit that I don’t usually give much thought to its role in the community. Occasionally I’ll realize I picked up the wrong kind of soup and, to save myself a trip back to the canned goods aisle, I’ll drop it in the box at the IGA. But for the most part the food bank seldom registers in my daily routine.

It’s a quiet little charity. It operates without SCRD support or grant funding and all that is required to make use of the service is need.

Ron and Wendy Phillips volunteer their time to collect food donated through local businesses and private donations. They set up at the Pender Harbour Community Church to hand it out each month. They also faithfully send me updates to the Community Calendar for pick-up times — which, incidentally, are on Dec. 8 and Dec. 24 this month.

It’s an important part of the community at any time and could be especially so this year. You usually don’t think about how close to the street many people are until someone you know is laid off. With the volume of debt most of us carry these days, it’s likely you too are only a few missed paycheques from moving in with the parents... or the kids.

But what if you don’t have that safety net? The economic burp we’re experiencing right is a reminder that homelessness and poverty are all around us — all the time. Surely the strain on the food bank’s supply is going up this month and they could use your help.

If it’s true that it’s better to give than to receive, then a donation to the food bank just may be the best antidote to our own financial worries.