Province of British Columbia frees up gambling grant money for 3 million dollar top up for BC food Banks

With the Food Banks of British Columbia finding a surge in requests over the last few weeks as the impact of the arrival of COVID-19 in the province was felt, the stocks have started to dwindle and staff taxed by the demand.

To help out in the midst of this current situation, the Province of British Columbia announced on Friday that 3 million dollars in emergency grant funding would be distributed through Food Banks British Columbia, the money taken from the Community Gaming Grant program in the province.

“We know that many British Columbia families count on food banks to supplement their weekly grocery needs. To help ensure that people continue to have access to the food they need, our government is taking steps by supporting B.C. food banks so they can, in turn, keep meeting the needs of the people in the communities they serve. Using funds from the gaming grants program is an example of how government and non-profit partners are working together to respond to the evolving nature of the pandemic, easing the burden on B.C.’s food banks and helping people who are feeling the strain of the COVID-19 crisis.” -- Mable Elmore, Parliamentary Secretary for Poverty Reduction. 

The 3 million dollar grant which is in alignment with ministerial orders from the Emergency Program Act will make use of funds that remained in the 2019-20 budget following the recent distribution to community groups.

You can review more on the provincial move here.

Earlier this month, the local Prince Ruper Food Bank which is operated by the Salvation Army announced a revision of its operations for the Food Bank and issued a call for local assistance as the shelves began to become depleted.

For a look at some of the other provincial measures in response to COVID-19 see our archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.