A three-week campaign to raise money for people who cannot afford healthy food has netted more than $30,000.
The Island Food Caring campaign, a collaboration of five local grocers — Fairway Markets, Thrifty Foods, Country Grocer, Red Barn Market and the Root Cellar — and the Victoria Foundation, raised $32,112 and awareness of the estimated 50,000 people in Greater Victoria who are considered the “hidden hungry.”
The money is earmarked for the Food Rescue Project, an initiative of the Mustard Seed and the Food Share Network, which recovers and redistributes healthy, fresh food to food-insecure communities in the region.
“Our team feels incredibly honoured to be working with other local grocers on the Island Food Caring campaign, “said Russ Benwell, owner of Red Barn Markets.
“We have a passion for providing our customers with the freshest local products and we are proud to be part of a network that ensures all members of our community have access to healthy food. Particularly during the uncertain times we are currently living in, fresh food for all is more important than ever.”
Despite the chaos in some grocery stores over the past few weeks with panic buying, social- distancing and limits on both items and customers in stores, shoppers donated at the tills in each of the grocers as well as the program’s website.
The Food Rescue Project was launched in 2017, thanks to $200,000 in funding from the Victoria Foundation and The Rotary Club.
