Sherron Hanson and her partner have three children, and like many people, she struggles to make ends meet.
“We live in an RV,” Hanson said.
She often relies on the Cowichan Valley Basket Association for her family's groceries and the occasional hot lunch.
She also says she has received extra help from food banks beyond what society requires.
“It's like a family here. If you need help with a job, they'll help you with a resume or filling out an application,” Hanson said.
It is the only food bank in Duncan and is under immense pressure.
“We're managing to get by but we need more space,” said Henry Wickelink, manager of the Cowichan Valley Basketball Association.
The building's small basement serves as storage for the food bank, which has seen demand for its services increase at an alarming rate, Wickelink said.
“In the last 18 months, sales have increased by 100 percent,” the association's manager said.
Today, the organization distributes 600 food parcels each month, feeding approximately 1,300 people, and also serves 200 hot meals a day out of its small space in Duncan, as it has for more than 20 years.
“We're not trying to build an empire or a palace, but it is very crowded,” said Richard Curry, the association's president.
The association said it needs to build a 3,000- to 4,000-square-foot grocery distribution center on the site, which would mean demolishing the existing center, which is in a cramped basement of the association's current building.
This will provide office space, significantly increase storage space and provide a new way for customers to pick up their groceries through the grocery shopping model.
“It adds a little bit more dignity,” Wickelink says, “kids feel like they can choose what they need, and it actually makes a better use of the donations by giving them something that we know they can use, rather than us giving them something they can't use.”
The association has launched a fundraising campaign with the goal of raising $950,000 to build the new warehouse, with funds also earmarked for renovations to the existing building, which will continue to be used as the site of the association's daily hot meal program.
“That way we have room to address our immediate needs and also address what we think we'll need in the next four to five years,” Curry said.
The chairman says he sees no signs of that demand slowing.
Hanson said he hopes the fundraiser will be successful.
“I think they need it,” she said. “It's a blessing for the community.”
To help or donate, visit the Cowichan Valley Basket Society website.
