Salvation Army opens foodbank in Vic West
The Salvation Army is expanding its community services, including a foodbank for residents living in Vic West and Esquimalt.
The new facilities will be operated at its Highpoint Community Church location at the corner of Fullerton and Raynor avenues in the Vic West area.
The Salvation Army hopes the new facility will bridge the gap for foodbank services in the region.
"Having this program space available is going to be a game changer for residents in Vic West and Esquimalt," said Salvation Army community ministries director Patrick Humble.
"Families are struggling and new families [and] all demographics are looking for help from the foodbank, especially since COVID," he said.
"It's a growing need, so the foodbank’s been able to support and help families in that way," he added.
In addition to the foodbank, the Salvation Army has partnered with Backpack Buddies to provide a bag of groceries for every child in a registered foodbank program family every Friday.
"It helps get the family through when the children are home a little more and not in school," said Humble.
The Salvation Army has also opened new space for programs and services in a former home on the church property. It plans to start its community outreach programs by offering a coffee drop-in meeting on Tuesday afternoons between from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.
"We’re going to be learning from the community what’s needed,” said Humble. "We will then grow our program base as we move along."
Humble says the Salvation Army has been operating a foodbank on a small scale for the past three years. He says the agency saw the need to increase its foodbank capacity due to an increase in demand from people in the community.
"We know that the need is great for people living in this community and this has been a good resource," said Humble.
"People are excited to know it is finally here because there’s not many services in Vic West."
The foodbank at the Salvation Army Highpoint Community Church, located at 949 Fullerton Ave., is open on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW 'Oh my God, you're my brother': Manitoba man discovers six unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canucks hold off Oilers for 4-3 win in Game 3
Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist, and the Vancouver Canucks hung on for a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise's disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.