The concrete yellow walls echo with the sounds of children laughing and friends catching up on the past week’s news. Two hours later, the only sound in the basement is the slamming of folding tables as volunteers pack up for another week. For seven, years the North Shore Food Bank. has provided this lifeline to thousands of needy people. Last year 7,500 people stood in ‘the line, 45% of them feeding : families. .. “Pve- been coming here for . geven.years,’’ said Patricia ‘Waters, her five-year-old daugh- ‘tet playing by her side. - “We used to get a pound of hamburger and .eggs. every” week, "_ 80 today’s bag isn’t much to get us through the week.’ . This week there were no eggs or - Meat. The contents-of- the-bag?—Three——munity-network- system —operated— —-choice— of —paying-- the—-bill-- or-—-ference.!———-—----—------——- .. loaves of bread, a block.of cheese, nite carrots, two “potatoes, ‘three nocdie packages, two boxes of mscaroni “and ‘cheese,-a can. of “beans and! four ‘Christmas choco- ; Shore. Food Bank is retiree John legeman of West. Vancouver... ‘ “With.:the resent’ scandals Surrounding — fundraising | ois throughout North’ America, - just what .. ‘volunteer “has in mind for the ; ding committee system. : ‘District: “council decided “Aug. Janice’ Harris having already “gone home,:to continue with its mimertime’: format. o > meeting nce: every: two: weeks,’ instead of ‘ oxice per week, . ith an 8.30 p.m. “council meeting following standing “committee meetings. : ‘Monday night’s ‘council meeting . was the first since that decision. » It was unfinishéd- when | ad- journed at) 11.30.-p.m.: after a short argument between Mayor ..Murray Dykéman «nd Gadsby. . Council: took ‘tlie unusual step of voting: to: continue the meeting on Tuesday. night and waiving public notification. “Gadsby and Coun. Ernie - Crist then used Tuesday: night’s debate ‘- on amendments to council’s rules of procedure to propose a return to a weekly meeting format. a (ic important that. council meet ‘every. week. It’s important “that the. municipaility’s business be .' done in a timely, effi icient man- ~-ner,”? said Gadsby. ‘> {1 don’t know how anyone can ‘sericusly. consider meeting every two weeks when we had difficulty - completing our «agendas every “week,” added Crist. . ‘Gadsby also said that she did Lumet mun for : office under the institu-_ “my business activities for By A.P. McCredie News Reporter image of youthful success, operating a successful fitness business, living in the British Properties and driving a BMW. Seemingly overnight, he found himself shuffling down a corridor in the basement of the Neighbor- hood House, registering for a weekly food handout. Foster turned the humbling ex- perience around and has since devoted himself to planning a solution for the community. After. years -of research and -consultation with various agencies, ‘businesses, milti-cultural groups and church groups, .-he has devel- oped the idea for the “North Shore. Harvest,’” a food distributing warehouse: and coni- ' solely with donations originating on the North Shore. - “The majority of the food and clothing collected on the North Shore, as well as money, leaves the community and goes to Van- couver,”’ Foster said.” “This leaves. the. North Shore with small, inadequate food bags distributed to. approximately 600 needy individuals” and families a month.” | - Foster believes the North Shore. - communities, which have a long history of. charitable and com- munity-minded action, . should turn their energies to providing for. the. needy in their own back yards, “if. we get a call: from a work- ing single mother who just Teceiv- _ By Martin Milierchip ‘Contributing Writer premise that Monday night in- camera meetings would begin as- early as 5 p.m. _Dykeman asked Gadsby to keep to the point of the proposed amendments which did not en- compass the start time of in- camera meetings, but Gadsby in- sisted she had the right to debate and question council policy as it related to any meeting called for a Monday. Insisting that a 5 p.m. start to council business was unreasonable Gadsby said, ‘‘I will not sacrifice the community.” Coun. Janice Harris endorsed the call for a return to weekly ris, SE don’t want to be removed from the community for two-week stretches.”’ Harris called for a return to the old system of a weekly policy and planning meeting. before formal council. “We are always going to deal with each agenda item as a full council anyway,”’ said Harris. Crist supported Harris’ call for the abolition of the standing committee system. “It looked like a good idea, but what I find is that we are discuss- ing all these items as a council Sunday, September 20, 1992 - North Shore News - 3 North Shore Harvest directs food to needy Food bank project launched te maximize distribution of dwindling donations locally THREE Wednesdays a month, the line begins forming be- fore 11 a.m. in the labyrinth of hallways in the basement of the North Shore Neighborhood House. “WEWS photo Bike Wi field FIVE-YEAR-OLD Tracy Waters eats an n apple as her mother Patti talks with a:woman at the North a ‘Shore Neighborhood House. Between the mether and daughter is their allotted food for the weck..- eda bill in the mail and has the feeding her kids, we do not have the ability to help her,’’ said Foster. _ The Neighborhood House does not have the facilities to store, provide or distribute food proper- ly to address emergency cases. : Foster also wants to connect the “North Shore Harvest’? with other agencies that help needy people so that fewer people slip throtigh: the cracks in the social assistance system. .“] would like us (the communi- ty): -to. be there to provide assistance and offer hope,’’ Foster said. ’ “And we can do that by ietting - those less fortunate know that they live in a community that takes care of its own and i is work- NORTH