Greater Vancouver Food Bank Extends Support as Devastating Wildfires Impact the Okanagan Region
Vancouver, BC, Thursday August 13th: As devastating wildfires continue to force individuals and families from their homes across the Okanagan region, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank (GVFB) is temporarily extending its capacity to support people displaced by the wildfires who have relocated to communities within GVFB’s catchment area – Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and the North Shore – while working with partners in the Okanagan to identify how it can support affected communities as needs evolve.
Since the wildfires began, the organization has received more requests from displaced individuals and families, including some who have lost their homes. Many were forced to leave quickly without the opportunity to safely retrieve identification or proof of address. To remove those barriers, the GVFB has introduced temporary registration for up to six months, waiving its usual ID and proof-of-address requirements when those documents are unavailable because of the wildfires. Registered households can access food support and, where needed, be connected with services through the FRESH Start Program. Hygiene products and other essential items are also available as needed.
Support is also being extended directly to the Okanagan, with one full truckload of donated and purchased food items being sent to partners in the region for wildfire evacuees. The team remains in contact with partners in the affected region to understand how needs are changing. These temporary measures are being added alongside GVFB’s ongoing services, allowing the organization to respond to families displaced by the wildfires while maintaining the regular support its existing clients and agency partners rely on.
“We have been heartbroken watching families across the Okanagan region leave their homes, sometimes with only what they could carry. When a crisis hits one part of B.C., the rest of us have a responsibility to respond. Our first job is to make sure people who arrive here can access food and support without unnecessary barriers, while our team works with partners in the Okanagan to understand what they need next.
No community should have to face a crisis like this alone. We are stronger when we share resources, infrastructure and expertise across regions. We are temporarily extending our capacity because help is needed now, and we will do everything we can within our means while maintaining our commitment to the communities that rely on us every day.” — David Long, CEO, Greater Vancouver Food Bank
Working closely with local and provincial agency partners helps create a network that can share information, coordinate resources and help direct support when local systems are under extraordinary pressure. In moments like this, those relationships allow organizations to respond together, guided by what affected communities say they need most.
As communities begin the recovery process and evacuees are able to return home, the team will remain in close contact with partners in the Okanagan region to identify specific emerging needs. This may include food support, temporary cold storage solutions and other community-specific recovery supplies. As those needs become clearer, GVFB will do its best to provide practical relief within its capacity and adapt its response where support is needed most.
