Give the Gift of Good Food and provide fresh fruits and veggies to a family for a year!

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There’s lots of activity inside, and outside, the Fernwood Community Centre, as volunteers sort, pack, and load cars with bags of fresh fruits and vegetables, to ensure the Good Food Boxes are delivered to those in need.

Volunteer Wendy Smith proudly exclaims that “we just have it down pat! And now we’re going to go over and help this line, so we’ve always got something that we’re doing!”

Kathryn Juricic is the coordinator of the Good Food Box.  Right now, the organization is fundraising for 2018.  “The Gift of Good Food is a holiday fundraiser that raises money to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for families throughout Greater Victoria facing poverty, for the entire year” she explains.

The program partners with fifteen community centres, and organizations which support families in need.

“They choose the families” says Juricic, “and then boxes get delivered to those organizations every other week.”

Every 500 dollars raised provides a family with a Good Food Box every two weeks, for a year.

Last year, 66-thousand dollars was raised for 133 families who will receive their Gift of Good Food till the end of 2017.

Projecting forward, Juricic says that “this year we’re aiming to raise 75,000 dollars to support 150 families across Greater Victoria throughout 2018.

“Most of the fundraising happens through our website, and we also sell donation cards to donate on behalf of people.

“We get a lot of support from the community, which we need, because it’s a saturated market, and this program really resonates with people.”

The volunteers are vital to the program, arriving week after week to sort the produce and fill the bags.

“I love the camaraderie” says Wendy Smith. “It’s really fun with everybody! I think that it’s good to donate your time to something that actually has some impact…on a day to day basis.”

Click here if you would like to give the Gift of Good Food.

Veronica CooperVeronica Cooper

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