L. Gomes/Pattison Media

By Laurice Gomes

Community

Demand higher than ever as Chilliwack Salvation Army food bank struggles with rising fuel and food costs

Jul 3, 2022 | 7:03 AM

CHILLIWACK — The Salvation Army Chilliwack currently has two challenges it is trying to navigate—for starters, the rising cost of food and, consequently, the increased traffic through their doors.

Don Armstrong, food bank director for the non-profit’s Care and Share Centre, said with the acceleration of inflation, the pantry is “feeling the pinch.”

Right now, we’re doing between 1,400 and 1,500 hampers every month,” he said. “It’s almost tripled from this time last year.”

Armstrong anticipates that these numbers will continue to escalate even further, as many families are feeling the sharp shift in pricing and are struggling to put food on the table.

“We’re in dire need right now,” he stressed. “We’re having families come in from schools that have got seven kids, five kids, all that kind of stuff.”

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Armstrong said the priority right now is feeding families with children and seniors.

“Our seniors are really hurting right now,” he added. “So, we’re helping some senior homes where we’re delivering food to them. Seniors and kids, that’s our goal.”

During the school year, the Salvation Army participates in the Chilliwack Starfish Pack program—an initiative where backpacks are sent home every Friday, full of food for children and their families for the weekend.

“Starfish stopped for the summer because the kids are out of school, and that’s where we struggle,” he said. “Everybody is on holidays, and nobody is bringing food in through the summer months.”

Pointing to the shelf of baby products, Armstrong said another setback is a shortage of baby formula. “We can’t even get it for purchase in grocery stores.”

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The food bank director added that there is a lineup of approximately 100 people every day looking to feed their families.

“We started to ask how many they were feeding in each family, and when we calculated that, we are feeding well over 300 people a day through our pantry,” he reflected.

Armstrong said aside from baby formula, some of the other needs are protein items such as peanut butter, kidney beans, and fresh fruits and vegetables.

On July 22 and 23, the familiar sound of jingling bells will be heard in stores, as the signature red kettles will be out for ‘Christmas in July’. Money raised from the campaign will go to the food bank, an additional effort to help mitigate food insecurity.

“The Chilliwack community is a fantastic community; we just have to let them know what’s happening,” Armstrong said. “And right now we’re all struggling.”

Donations can be made at the Salvation Army Care and Share Centre at 45746 Yale Road.