Salvation Army staff in Vernon, B.C. said with the increase of clients and the decrease in donations, both monetary and food, they were nearing desperate levels of food.
Now, things have changed.
“Things have gone great, our community has stepped up and really supported us,” said Stefan Reid, Vernon Salvation Army’s spokesperson.
A few weeks and a news story like the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic can make a big difference for a social service that relies on donations.
“We’ve also seen monetary donations come in through the mail and our website.”
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Vernon’s Salvation Army has been serving free lunches from its food truck for a few weeks.
Now they are serving more lunches per day than ever before.
“We serve about 80 to 100 meals a day out of our truck,” said Reid.
The food truck serves lunches to the community’s most vulnerable and is operated by volunteers.
Randel Erbacker says he’s been volunteering at the Salvation Army for the last four years.
“For me, it was a choice of sitting at home and moping about not being able to work or go out and doing something,” said Erbacker.
The sandwiches are made around the corner from the Salvation Army at The Fig.
The Fig has opened up their kitchen to allow volunteers to come in and make the lunches.
“We can’t thank The Fig enough,” said Reid.
“Without their support, we wouldn’t be able to serve so many people.”
The Salvation Army is currently serving three free lunches per week, but are eyeing expanding their services to five days.
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