Peninsula Co-op, Island Savings matching donations to food banks up to $20K

Two local businesses are working together to help put food on people’s tables in the Greater Victoria and Gulf Island communities they serve.
Peninsula Co-op and Island Savings are marking "2022 Co-op Week" by encouraging people to donate cash and non-perishable food items at Island Savings and Peninsula Co-op locations on southern Vancouver Island from Oct. 16 to Oct. 21.
The combined total of each dollar raised and food item donated will be matched up to $20,000 by the two organizations.
"We know people are struggling right now and we want to help out where we can," said Peninsula Co-op director of marketing and community relations, Lindsay Gaudette.
"People don’t realize how many people are struggling with food insecurity, so we wanted to do something where we could really help come together and support our neighbours who really need it," she said.
Gaudette says as the cost of living and the price of food continues to skyrocket, more and more people are relying on food banks to make ends meet and put food on the table for their families.
"Food banks are struggling, and I think they struggle all year long, but we know at this time of year it's even harder," said Gaudette.
"We’re going into Christmas and often time the [food bank] shelves have only enough for two or three weeks," she added. "So it's really important that we keep this need top-of-mind and we keep supporting [food banks] so we can make sure that our community is not going hungry."
On Oct. 16, Island Savings and Peninsula Co-op are also teaming up with Langford-based soccer club Pacific FC to host a family friendly event at the club’s training facility at 2888 Kettle Lake Dr.
Volunteers will be on hand starting from 3:30 p.m. to accept donations of cash and food items.
"We’re going to have some Pacific FC players there so kids can kick the ball around, they can get autographs and photos with the players," said Gaudette.
"We got some fun activities planned so please bring non-perishable food items that you can donate to help the food banks."
People who attend Wednesday’s event can also enter to win a $250 Peninsula Co-op gas card.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Survey shows employees aren’t disconnecting from work on vacation
Although remote work has cleared the way for workplace flexibility, allowing employees to work in various locations (and climates), a new study suggests it’s taking a serious toll on work-life balance.

Macron announces France is sending 100 firefighters to Quebec
France will be sending firefighters to aid Quebec as the province continues to battle massive forest fires, French President Emmanuel Macron announced.
Increase in mosquitoes 'a trend' across Canada this year. Here's why
Mosquitoes have always been pesky, but this spring it seems the bloodsuckers are thirstier than ever, a trend one expert says is increasing.
Nova Scotians’ personal information stolen in global security breach: province
The Nova Scotia government says it is investigating the theft of personal information stolen through a global privacy breach to a third-party file transfer system the province was using.
Adult victim in Que. fishing incident that killed 4 children identified
Quebec provincial police (SQ) have identified the adult victim of a fishing incident that claimed five lives over the weekend, most of them children. Keven Girard, 37, was among a group of 11 people swept up by the tide late Friday night while fishing along the shore in Portneuf-sur-Mer, a village about 550 kilometres northeast of Montreal.
Uncertainty remains for Halifax-area evacuees as wildfire 100 per cent contained
A wildfire that tore through homes and businesses in the Halifax area is 100 per cent contained, but a historic fire in southwestern Nova Scotia remains out of control.
Canada sticking with 2050 net zero targets, but progress may come faster than expected, minister says
Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says the federal government is not ruling out finding ways to achieve net zero sooner than the existing 2050 goal, but would not say whether there would be a definitive commitment to move up the target.
Apple is expected to unveil a sleek, pricey headset. Is it the device VR has been looking for?
Apple appears poised to unveil a long-rumoured headset that will place its users between the virtual and real world, while also testing the technology trendsetter's ability to popularize new-fangled devices after others failed to capture the public's imagination.
Ukrainian father rushes home after Russian airstrike to find 2-year-old daughter dead in rubble
A Ukrainian man rushed to his home outside the central city of Dnipro in hopes of rescuing his family, only to find his two-year-old daughter dead and wife seriously wounded as he helped pull them from the rubble of their apartment destroyed in one of Russia's latest airstrikes of the war, authorities reported Sunday.