Did you know that many of our clients are new immigrants to Canada? Moving from another country is never easy; from dealing with financials to the culture shock, it causes a rollercoaster of emotions and stress in one’s life. However, one of the biggest worries could be as severe as whether you will have enough food to put on the table. For Saeid and his family, accessing fresh food became a daily challenge.
Saeid and his family
Saeid and his family moved to Vancouver from Turkey in 2017. While they were happy to move to a new country, adjusting to their new lives was extremely difficult. They were faced with navigating in an entirely new city all by themselves with little understanding of the language. Thankfully, they eventually heard about the services of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.
Saeid wanted to do whatever he could to bring food home to his family, especially for their youngest daughter, so he registered as a GVFB client. Despite being thankful for the food support, Saeid admitted to feeling nervous when he visited the GVFB for the first time.
“It felt very different at first. I thought only the old and disabled used the Food Bank. So I felt ashamed going during my first week because of my young age,” said Saeid. “But then I saw all the different kinds of people there, young and old, even families!”
Saeid and his family are among the 8,500 individuals who receive support from the GVFB each month. More than 60% of our clients come from multi-person households.
“The more I went, the more comfortable I became,” explains Saeid. “Especially as a newcomer, I had to do whatever I could to support my family.”
Now, he and his family receive weekly food support from us. He is greatly appreciative of the baby formula and diapers he receives for his daughter through our Baby Steps Program. One of her favourite things to eat is our variety of fresh fruit!
By providing our newly immigrated clients like Saeid with fresh and nutritious food, we are helping to alleviate one of the many stresses they face while establishing themselves in a new country.
