Nearly 3,000 Tri-Cities households received food last year from the food bank run by Share Family and Community Services and those numbers don't show any signs of dropping.
Week in and week out, hundreds of people line up outside one of three food banks in the Tri-Cities. They get a bag of groceries, a kind greeting and leave a little lighter, except for the bag of pasta, canned food and other ingredients in their arms.
The community is happy to support the food bank and no doubt there is a lot of need.
But could there be a better way to deal with poverty and hunger?
Share seems to think so and is looking at creating a new model of food bank, the Catalyst Centre, which would do more than simply collect and distribute food. If the model gets the go-ahead after six months of development and funding is identified, people who now get food from the food bank would also have a case worker to help them figure out how they can become more independent and improve their quality of life, and what they need to achieve this transition.
Job skills, language skills, whatever it takes, Share would find a way to match food bank clients with resources to help them improve their lot in life. Some food bank clients might even give back as volunteers in the community (though it wouldn't be a requirement for food), thereby enriching their own relationships in the community with all the social and economic benefits that would entail.
Locating community resources in one area with case management and referral is not a new idea. But transforming the food bank from a simple collect-and-distribute model to one that is more responsive is novel and worth considering. For it to work, however, Share must leverage existing resources and government services rather than relying on community generosity, which is already stretched.
A hand up instead of just a hand out is a smart idea, and we wish Share all the best in this transformation.