On the first and third Thursday of each month about 50 families go to the food bank at St. John the Apostle church, where they get a free hot lunch, a bag of groceries and some dignity.
The Anglican church in Port Moody has been operating its food bank for at least 15 years, said parish administrator Karen Evans.
"It started out as a single-parent food bank but as times changed... with housing prices, the economy, it put everybody in such a strained position that now it's a family food bank," Evans said, making it the church's single biggest ministry.
The program runs mainly on cash and food donations from church members. Cobs Bread in Port Moody donates their leftover loaves every two weeks, and additional food is purchased through the food rescue organization Quest.
And when the food bank recently secured the Burnaby Costco's leftover food donations this past Christmas, it was a "real coup."
But Evans said they need more.
She hopes the next time a local school or community group holds a food drive, they'll consider donating to the St. John the Apostle food bank.
"There's a lot of dignity afforded to clients here," Evans said, with a warm, dry place for people to choose their own groceries based on what their family needs most.
"We're self-sufficient with this food bank, but we could do more for more people if we had more donations."
Visit www.stjohnanglican.ca or call 604-936-7762 for more information.
