B.C. food banks to get $3M emergency government grant amid coronavirus pandemic

The B.C. government is providing a $3 million emergency grant to the province’s food banks as they struggle amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The province said Sunday the money will be given from the Community Gaming Grants program to Food Banks BC, which will distribute the funds to its members.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing said in a statement that the money will support food banks in their immediate needs to buy and distribute food, pay employees and cover other essential costs.

“We know that many British Columbia families count on food banks to supplement their weekly grocery needs,” parliamentary secretary for poverty reduction Mable Elmore said.

“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.”

Food banks and other charities have said they are being hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak and measures intended to limit the spread of the disease.

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As people stay home to self-isolate and otherwise keep their distance under provincial health orders, donations and visits have plummeted across the province.

“This grant will make a tremendous impact in communities all over B.C. and ensure that fgood banks can keep their doors open and continue to meet the needs of the vulnerable, who particularly need their assistance at this time,” Food Banks BC executive director Laura Lansink said in a statement.

Food Banks BC represents 100 food banks across the province, the organization says.

Food banks, shelters, community kitchens and other charities that help vulnerable residents have been deemed essential services in B.C. amid the pandemic.

The province issued an order Thursday that allows food banks to provide drive-thru and delivery options, as well as larger hampers, in an effort to make the charities accessible to more people.

Imagine Canada, which supports charitable organizations across the country, warned Thursday that charities could lose a combined $9.5 billion and layoff more than 117,000 employees due to social distancing measures and the resulting economic downturn.

An emergency coalition of 200 Canadian charities has called on the federal government to provide a $10-billion stabilization fund, saying it would prevent an impending and irreparable collapse of Canada’s non-profit sector.