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This is an opportunity to give back to our community, with minimal effort and a lot of flexibility, says one volunteer.
Published on May 30, 2024 • Last updated 16 minutes ago • 3 minute read
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Anna Kam is a volunteer driver for Vancouver Food Runners. Photo by Nick Procairo/PNG
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A Metro Vancouver charity that collects and distributes food donated by local businesses that would otherwise be thrown away is looking for 500 new volunteer drivers.
Michelle Raining, executive director of Vancouver Food Runners, says the organization increased production by 51 per cent last year, delivering more than 1.26 million pounds of produce, meat, dairy and baked goods in 2022, up from 835,915 pounds the previous year.
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“We've had a steady stream of businesses wanting to get involved, from small cafes and bakeries to larger wholesale businesses. Plus, it's harvest season so there's a surplus of fresh produce to donate.”
But Food Runners' money would go to waste without more volunteers to deliver the donations from local businesses to nearby nonprofits, said Reining, who currently has 342 volunteer drivers.
Anna Kam was one of the volunteers who picked up several boxes of goods from Yen Brothers Food Services, a wholesaler in East Vancouver, on Thursday afternoon. She said her teenage daughters always volunteer with her.
“We started at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and continued to give back to the community. It allows for a lot of flexibility with minimal effort,” Kam said.
Food insecurity is on the rise in British Columbia: 22 per cent of residents are food insecure in 2023, up from 17 per cent in 2022, according to Food Banks Canada.
Anna Kam picks up food at Yen Brothers Food Service for the Vancouver Food Runners. She usually gets her teenage children to help her. Photo by Nick Procairo/PNG
“The steep rise in the cost of living in Metro Vancouver has led to a surge in the population in need of assistance. At the same time, many non-profit organizations are struggling to feed their growing client base because their food budgets are not as large as they once were,” said Reining.
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“It's a dire situation.”
Through Food Runners, 170 businesses across the Lower Mainland, including UBC Foodservice and JW Marriott, donate surplus food, which is delivered to 145 non-profit organizations, including the YWCA, Covenant House, Strathcona Community Centre's Backpack Program and the Pacific Immigrant Resource Association.
“We don't believe in solving food insecurity; it's an income and poverty issue. We're delivering donations to organizations that are working on deeper systems change so they can reduce food distribution costs and put that money toward their core programs,” Reining said.
The majority of nonprofits that receive donations of fresh produce – 84 percent – are organizations that provide social services in their local communities.
Local volunteers delivered 38,129 pounds of fresh food to the YWCA Metro Vancouver, which provides free counselling, job training, medical services and childcare.
Volunteering with FoodRunners can be done through an app, where interested drivers can sign up and request a “food rescue” that fits their schedule and vehicle size. Volunteers can make a one-off delivery or sign up for regular weekly pickups and deliveries.
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“If you have a small car, you could rescue four boxes of produce from your local grocery store. If you have a van, you could arrange for a delivery of 20 boxes from a food wholesaler,” Reining said.
The app's technology was designed by the US Food Rescue Heroes organisation and is currently used in 17 North American cities, making the process of Food Runners matching corporate donors with non-profit organisations and local volunteers more efficient.
Reining said the traditional food recovery model in North America relies on large trucks with set routes and storage facilities, which can lead to high costs and long wait times.
“Our goal is to connect drivers with businesses and nonprofits within just a 10-minute radius, because we want the food to stay in the community where it's being donated.”
Just one hour of volunteer work will result in about $581 in donated food, or about 150 meals, Reining said.
“By volunteering just once, you can help feed someone in your community that same day and prevent fresh, nutritious food from going to waste.”
sgrochowski@postmedia.com
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