Peggy Wilmot recalls a young mother walking through the door at St. John the Divine to collect her monthly quota from the churchB次元官网网址檚 food bank.

Wilmot was excited to tell her about the Good Food Box program, a $6 hamper of affordable produce sourced from local farmers. B次元官网网址淲e started bringing in sample boxes, showing people what they could get,B次元官网网址� she says.

The woman seemed interested, but when she found out the price of the fresh kale, squash and root vegetables, she said she simply couldnB次元官网网址檛 afford it.

B次元官网网址淪he said, B次元官网网址業 get $610 a month, and my rent is $640. ThereB次元官网网址檚 nothing left over. In fact, I still have to scramble to figure out how I can make up the difference,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Wilmot says.

The womanB次元官网网址檚 story is becoming more common, as food banks struggle to meet a demand that has risen 31 per cent since 2007 across Canada.

The increased burden on charities, churches and non-profits is also increasing pressure on higher levels of government to create real food security in communities.

Food Banks Canada numbers show that 882,000 people accessed food banks across the country last year, an all-time high. More troubling, 11 per cent of those people used the service for the first time.

The three food banks in the municipality of Victoria B次元官网网址� the Mustard Seed and smaller services at St. John the Divine and Saint Vincent de Paul B次元官网网址� have to restrict their users to one visit each month to keep the system afloat.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 mopping the floor instead of fixing the roof,B次元官网网址� says Wilmot.

She is lobbying government to recognize the problem through her organization, Faith in Action.

B次元官网网址淐hurches in particular have responded to this need by donating to a food bank, but the longer we do it, the more we realize itB次元官网网址檚 letting the government off the hook.B次元官网网址�

Over the past 30 years, a system meant to provide temporary relief to the most vulnerable populations has matured into a societal pillar.

Welfare, minimum wage and old age pension payments havenB次元官网网址檛 kept up with inflation rates or the rising cost of food and housing.

Some of the problem is that Island residents rely on up to 95 per cent of their food being imported from the mainland and beyond, says Linda Geggie of the Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable.

Geggie and her colleagues promote local food security through dozens of initiatives, such as community gardening, education about the origins of meat, produce and grain, and even cooking classes.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 kind of a lost skill,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淎 lot of people donB次元官网网址檛 know how to use whole foods and how to cook and store and prepare food.B次元官网网址�

The introduction of farmer-led programs is also helping train a new generation of local farmers on small-scale intensive agriculture.

B次元官网网址淭hese older farmers, they donB次元官网网址檛 want to see their farms die because thereB次元官网网址檚 no one to take it on,B次元官网网址� Geggie says.

She acknowledges food banks are a B次元官网网址淏and-Aid solutionB次元官网网址� to a much bigger issue.

B次元官网网址淚t isnB次元官网网址檛 just about people not having food, itB次元官网网址檚 about poverty and the high cost of housing, and living wage and having enough means to access healthy foods.B次元官网网址�

The guaranteed annual income needs to rise, Wilmot agrees, to reduce the reliance of the B次元官网网址渨orking poorB次元官网网址� on food banks.

B次元官网网址淚f people had enough to buy the food they needed to survive, that would solve things,B次元官网网址� she says.

B次元官网网址淚f people had adequate housing that didnB次元官网网址檛 cost them 100 per cent of their income, then theyB次元官网网址檇 have money left over to buy food.B次元官网网址�

St. John the DivineB次元官网网址檚 food bank began 16 years ago as an emergency food service, but Wilmot admits the title no longer suits the level of need.

In the coming weeks, Faith in Action will approach Saanich, Oak Bay and other Capital Region municipalities to pass its food banks motion with the hope of creating a stronger voice at higher levels of government. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e not eliminating food banks, weB次元官网网址檙e eliminating the need for food banks,B次元官网网址� Wilmot says.

For more information on the Faith in Action campaign, visit bcpovertyreduction.ca/imagine-a-world-without-food-banks/.

To learn more about local food security programs, visit lifecyclesproject.ca or call your local neighbourhood association.

dpalmer@vicnews.com

City councillor helps push food bank plea forward

Victoria Coun. Lisa Helps put forward a motion last Thursday at city councilB次元官网网址檚 governance and priorities committee meeting to address the increasing reliance on food banks.

The motion asks the City of Victoria to encourage the provincial and federal governments to ensure food security for all citizens and eliminate the need for food banks by 2018.

B次元官网网址淲hatB次元官网网址檚 really thrilling for me is that the motion came forward from a whole range of citizens that work together in a coalition,B次元官网网址� Helps says of the Faith in Action initiative. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 faith groups from across the spectrum ... that really donB次元官网网址檛 see food banks as a sustainable way to feed people with dignity.B次元官网网址�

The motion passed unanimously and also directs staff to dedicate resources to food security programs as part of the CityB次元官网网址檚 Official Community Plan. Helps said the city is already doing what it can for food security at a local level by creating orchards and community gardens, but the real change will come from higher levels of government.

dpalmer@vicnews.com