'Food rescue' project boosts fresh grocery supply for needy

A new food distribution centre has dramatically increased nutritional assistance for low-income Victoria-area residents.

Vancouver Island's largest food bank, TheMustard Seed,opened the 5,800-metre warehousein the Victoria West neighbourhood earlier this year.

Derek Pace,The Mustard Seed's food security manager, said the warehouse now receives up to 2,000 kilograms of fresh food every day, donated by 11 Thrifty Foods stores in the Capital Region.

"We bring it in here, sort itand then send it out in to the community," Pace told On the Island host Gregor Craigie.

That food is redistributed to the food bank and about 50 community agencies in the region'sFood Share Network.

The Food Rescue Project was launched with support from The Victoria Foundation and the Rotary Clubs of Greater Victoriato address growing food insecurity in the Capital Region.

Before the warehouse opened, Pace said,"we were squeezed into a very small space. We were doing food rescue with Country Grocer, bringing in some fresh (food)."

Dry goods for food bank clients were stored in a building in Duncan, an hour's drive from Victoria.

With theincreased capacity in the lift-gate-equippedwarehouse, and three trucks dropping of and picking up donations, Pace said, "it's a dramatic change from a year ago."

"This is what we were doing before, on steroids,"he said.

The food donated by Thrifty Foods previously ended up in the waste stream, Pace said, "but it's fantastic great quality food."

Much of it is items moved out to make room for new food coming into the grocery store or items that were picked over and left behind by customers,he said.

The food is weighed as it comes into the warehouse and again when it leaves for redistribution after repackingby volunteers.Just over 10 per cent of the food that is receivedis not usable, he said.

"The golden rule is, if you wouldn't eat it at home you don't send it out," Pace said.

While the Food Rescue Distribution Centre has expanded fresh access to fresh food for low income people in the Capital Region, Pace said, this is the time of year when food banks also try to build up the supply of non-perishable items.

Protein, staples, toiletries needed

He said items in high demand include protein-rich foods such as canned meats, canned fish andnut butters.Coffee, sugar,and rice inbulk are needed, as well as toiletries such as shampoos, toothpaste and femininehygieneproducts.

"Any type of canned meals, pop-top mealsare nice for people who may not have cooking facilities to use," Pace said. "We're always looking for those."