The Comox Valley Food Bank held a fundraiser in August during a Simms Summer Concert Series in Courtenay. (Chris Arruda / Comox Valley Food Bank)

The Comox Valley Food Bank is asking for donations this Saturday in front of Superstore on Ryan Road.

From 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m., members of the food bank will be outside collecting food and cash donations. Chris Arruda is the manager of communications at the food bank. He emphasized the priority items they need most.

“Canned proteins are always really important for us at the food bank. They're obviously expensive, and something that a lot of our clients rely on for nutrition. That's not necessarily just meat. If there's also kind of like non-meat alternatives, that's important for clients that are potentially vegetarians. We're in a position at the food bank where we actually have to purchase some of our food to provide to clients. So I would say canned proteins is a fantastic item to donate if you're unsure of what to do.”

Arruda said that a goal of the event is to foster community engagement.

”We got the music going. We got a grill going, so we'll have some barbecue items, hot dogs, hamburgers, that sort of thing. And it's just an opportunity for us to meet folks in the community and for folks to come drop off either food donations or cash donations,” said Arruda.

The Comox Valley Food Bank has been serving the area since 1983. According to Arruda, they are supporting the equivalent of 200 families each and every day in the community. Additionally, 25 per cent of the food bank’s clients are children. According to a 2024 survey from Statistics Canada, 45 per cent of Canadians reported that rising prices were greatly affecting their ability to meet day-to-day expenses, and 23 per cent said they were likely to obtain groceries from community organizations in the next six months.

Arruda said the rising food cost is continuously a challenge for the community.

“I think overall the biggest challenge that we're facing these days is just that food security continues to be such a problem. When I started here about a year and a half ago, I really thought that the food bank was a place for unhoused people to get some food, right? To eat for the day. But what I've learned is that the people that are using the food bank in Canada right now, and especially in the Comox Valley, are people just like you and me. They have families, they come with their cars, and they're essentially coming just to do a grocery run, and they're doing that because the cost of living and the cost of groceries is just too expensive,” said Arruda.

Arruda said that community support is important for the food bank.

“ You know, we have this tagline, ‘Neighbors helping neighbors’, okay? And we call them our neighbors because they're literally people that live in our own community. So, I think it's really critical that people get involved at this point because really, the people that are utilizing our services are their neighbors, and they deserve to be able to get healthy food with dignity,” said Arruda.

For more information about ways to donate, visit comoxvalleyfoodbank.ca.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.

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