B.C. charity closes to make room for classroom space

A smallChilliwack, B.C. charity that hands out food and clothing to families with children says it has to shut down.

The Family of Schools Community Cupboard has been operating out of a portable behindChilliwackMiddle School for four years.

"It's heartbreaking in the sense that we're going to abandon those people. Alot of them have little children in elementary schools, so they've years ahead of them in the struggle they're in," said volunteer Doreen Jones.

The group was regularly helping out25 families.

"Some of them were coming from very low-income struggling families ... kids would come to school with the sameT-shirton, day after day after day, it wouldn't be washed, it wouldn'tbe clean. They would be coming with no food," said Jones.

But the school needs the portable in order to meet the new requirements followinga 2016 Supreme Court of Canada ruling on class size and composition.

"It's the situation, which the school district had no choice about. They have to make classroom space available for schools," said Jones.

In anticipation of the news, organizers spent the last six months looking for another space without finding one.

"We haven't got any money. We don't have any income, we can't pay rent," she said.

Clothing will be handed out until June 15 food will be available until June 22.

'It's a big deal'

One mother of five said it is "stressful and scary to know this resource is ending."

For the past two years, she had been able to pick up things like clothes and towels that the family's regular budget wouldn't allow for.

"In our case it is a big deal that we're able to come here and get those shoes that I need or thekids need," she said.

"It doesn'ttake away from the cheque, it doesn'ttake away from the medicine, or the bills or the food and you don't have to decide what is more important this month."

Province-wide impact

The Supreme Court of Canada ruling has impacted programs across the province.

"Daycaresandafter-schoolprograms have all been displaced, we are just another one of those groups,"said Jones.

• Parents struggle to find daycare as B.C. schools make space for more classrooms

The unintended consequence of the ruling for Chilliwackhas forced outat least five other daycares as well as a preschool.

In Abbotsford, four preschools were notified that their lease space would not be renewed forthe new school year.

In the Mission school district, various community partner organizations like literacy groups have alsobeen given notice to find new spaces.