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Food bank stocks lowest in 15 years
PILOTS IN FULL FLIGHT
Co-ordinators have never seen shelves so empty
Vikki HOPES
A42 The Abbotsford Pilots
Abbotsford News
In the 15 years that Dave Murray has served as co-ordinator of the Abbotsford Food Bank, he has never seen things look so dismal. Last Friday, Murray headed out to order $15,000 worth of beans, soup, Kraft Dinner and peanut butter because the food bank was out of all those items. “This is stuff we never run out of,” he said. Murray said the agency is also in very low supply or out of other staples such as pasta and rice. The Friday order was expected to arrive Tuesday, but may only last one week. With the holiday season approaching, Murray is concerned about having enough food to go around. “We’ve never, ever been in this situation – not like this...” he said. The food bank currently serves about 3,000 people each month. It operates as the Abbotsford Christmas Bureau at this time of year, providing gifts and food hampers for families in need. At the food bank’s Progressive Way warehouse, most shelves are either bare or piled high with empty boxes – nearly 2,000 of them – awaiting food that has not yet arrived. “I’ve seen it low in the summer, but not ever like this,” said the food bank’s Lynden Pennell as he surveyed the Continued on A3
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85¢ Abbotsford Food Bank warehouse co-ordinator Lynden Pennell has worked at the food bank for 15 years, but has TYLER OLSEN Abbotsford News never seen the shelves as empty as they are now.
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