VOLUNTEERS Geraldine Edgell (att, Evangeline Bolton, Selina Faithful and
Kathy Miller count grocery bags packed and ready for food bank recipients.

It’s the week of want

KATHY MILLER says for
Terrace’s poor, the tough-
est week of the month is
the one just before the
welfare cheques go out.
After the bills are paid,
there. may not be any
‘money lefl over, making it
hard to find enough to eat.
That’s where the Ter-
‘race. Churches Food bank.
‘comes ins
It’s open once a month,
during that same week
when the money crunch
hits our community’s poor
-the hardest.
Last week the food
bank distributed 574 bags,
of groceries. That's more
than 100 fewer than in No-
‘vember 1999,
“We're not sure why,”
says Miller, chairperson of
the Terrace Churches Food

Hank. “I’m hoping things -

have turned around for
some people,”

She speculates that

~ some people may have left .
town, or may have found |

wark here.

“L hope that if they left
this area it was for some-
thing better,” Miller says,
“I hope that things are
turning around.”

What's, clear is that the
food bank is bracing for
plenty of business this
coming January and Febr-
uary, when the impact of
natural: gas heating bill
“hikes will be felt, particu-
larly for residents living

closest to the poverty line. _
“A lot of them are ex-.

pressing concerns,” she
says, adding people on
pensions are especially
worried about how they'll
make ends meet.

The bags contain two’

kinds of soup, two cans of
vegetables, a container of
pork and beans, canned
milk, a package of macar-
oni and cheese, eggs,
hamburger, a roll of bath-
room tissue, and a loaf of
bread.

‘Singles and adult cou-
ples are given one bag,
Families with children get
two, and families of five
‘pet two and a little bit
extra — whatever items the
food bank has on hand,
whether il’s crackers,
‘Soups, cereal or juice.

Operated under the au-
spices of Terrace’s mini-
Sterial. association, the
food bank, located at 4647
. Lazelle Ave., is non-deno-
minational and non-parti-
san.

Miller stresses the Ter-
. tace Churches Food Bank
is a separate entity from
the Salvation Army.

“There’s been a real
misconception in the com-
munity here, between us
-and the Salvation Army,”
she’ admits. “We're two
-Separate organizations, But
we're doing the same good
work in the community,
helping people, to tied
them. over with their food
needs,”

_ The food bank is open
in October and November,
but does not distribute food
in December, when the
Salvation Army’s Christ-
-faas Hamper program is

newspapers
right in your backyard

Canad{an Community
Newspapers Association

running.
“But we’re back in bu-

siness January through
April,” Miller says.
Miller says about

$6,500 worth of food is
distributed each month.

In order to meet de-
mand, the food bank relies
on cash donations from
corporations, businesses,
community groups and in-
dividuals.

Miller cites the B.C.
Sharing coupon program as
another valuable source of
financial donations.

“It's an excellent way
of sharing with the com-
munity,” Miller says.

Denations of non-per-
ishable food items can
also be dropped off at bins
located at Safeway and

the Bargain Shop.

Registration and distri-
bution takes place in
alphabetical order during
the week the food bank is
open.

Recipients have to es-
tablish financial hardship

‘and meet with a local

minister to determine how
much food they will need.

Miller says 70 volun-
teers helped out in Octo-
ber, and another 60 in No-
vember. Many are reci-
pients themselves, who
see volunteering at the
food bank as a way to re-
sturn the favour,

Donations can also be
mailed to the Terrace
Churches Food bank C/O
4012 Anderson St., Ter-
race, B.C. V8G 2T2.

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The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, November 22, 2000 - B7

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