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The Richmond Food Bank’s volunteers are a huge asset, says its executive director.

Photo courtesy Richmond Food Bank

Food bank helping people through tough times

By Samuel Cheng

Published 11:51 PST, Fri February 4, 2022

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The Richmond Food Bank is nearing its 40th birthday, a testament to its importance in the community.

A food bank is a dynamic hub that provides food assistance, advocacy and related support to members of the community who are in need. Staying true to its name, the food bank is mainly responsible for distributing and delivering food items to the individuals within the community.

The Richmond Food Bank provides food distribution to around 2,300 people every month. Aside from distribution, the food bank is a fantastic platform for students, adults and even retired individuals who are looking to enrich their volunteer experiences.

Executive director Hajira Hussain says volunteers are the food bank’s biggest asset. Picking up donations, sorting and categorizing goods, and distributing the food items are some of the tasks performed by volunteers.

The Richmond Food Bank also plays an important role in the environment by recovering food from its retail partners. In 2020, the Richmond Food Bank was able to provide 725,748 kilograms (1.6 million pounds) of food to locals. This number includes both donations and recovered food, which would otherwise have ended up in the landfill.

The food bank offers a home delivery program for individuals who are homebound due to long term disability, injuries or illness. Prior to the pandemic, about 20 households were enlisted in the home delivery program. However, after the emergence of COVID-19, the number of households enlisted in the program tripled to 60.

Delivery frequency has increased from once per week to three times per week. This program is made possible by social workers, healthcare professionals and volunteers.

From March 2020 to September 2021, the food bank changed the way people were receiving food. People received pre-packed hampers instead of being able to pick and choose their preferred food items. However, after September 2021 the food bank returned to its pre-pandemic system.

In response to the pandemic, the Richmond Food Bank has multitudes of safety measures in place for its volunteers and service users. These measures include plexiglass, physical distancing, mask wearing, sanitization of high contact surfaces, as well as cones and markings on the floor to guide members of the public. Volunteers were also provided with hand sanitizer, gloves, and personal protective equipment.

As a community and as individuals, there are three ways in which we can contribute and support our local food bank.

The first method is financial donation, which is the preferred method because it offers the food bank the ability to buy in bulk at a discounted price from retail and wholesale partners. Additionally, the money donated to the food bank is used towards perishable food items such as fresh produce, milk and eggs.

The second method is food donation, where only non-perishable food items are accepted. These items can include canned protein, canned vegetables, pasta sauce, rice, cereal, peanut butter and more.

People are encouraged to check the food bank website for the most needed items before taking a trip to the grocery store. Also, the food bank can only distribute food items that are within 12 months of their best before date. Keeping this in mind can help shorten the time volunteers spend going through and sorting items.

Thirdly, while volunteers are always welcomed, the Richmond Food Bank is not currently taking any new volunteers as it tries to limit the number of people within the building.