Market’s SOS to raise awareness of hunger

Lonsdale Quay sets up fresh food booths for needy
as Share Our Strengths’ idea introduced to Canada

NEWS photo Cindy Goodman

“SHAKE OUR Strengths’ organizers Tracey Cochrane (far feft)
and Kevan Garner (second from left) join Lonsdale Quay's mar-
keting director Janet King (kneeling) and Quay manager Patricia
Parenie at the site of the “Extra Helpings’’ food depot at Lonsdale
Quay market.

ON WEDNESDAY, Dec.

2, Lonsdale Quay will become

the first market in Canada — the third in North America

to feature a

“Share Our Strengths’? (SOS) booth

dedicated to raising the public’s awareness of hunger.
&

The successes at the two other
locations — Philadelphia and
Washington D.C. -- convinced
Lonsdale Quay officials chat the
depot/info booth would be well-
suited to their popular market's
atmosphere.

SOS’s booth at the Quay will be
called “Extra Helpings.”

ft will act as a depot for people
to drop off perishable foods such
as fruits and vegetables.

The food will then be stored
overnight at the Quay — compli-
ments of the management — and
picked up by Vancouver-based
Food Runners, who will transport
the food to needy shelters and
food banks throughout the Lower
Mainland.

One of the biggest problems
with the current distribution net-
work for food for the needy is the
lack of sufficient amounts of
fresh, nutritious foods.

“in the beginning we hope that
people will buy a few extra fruit
or vegetable items while at the
market and pass them on to us,”’
said SOS organizer Tracey
Cochrane,

“Bul we want to expand the
scope so that people begin
bringing produce from their per-
sonal gardens, and eventually we
hope to involve farmers from the
area.”

Cochrane has already commit-
ted sume of the donated food to
the North Shore Neighbourhood
House, North and West Van-
couver’s sole food bank.

Gver 200 bags of groceries are
distributed three Wednesdays a

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“There is just so much food be-
ing spoiled because people don’t
know what to do with it,”’ said
Cochrane. ‘‘We hope our booth
will be the beginning of solving
that problem.’’

Cochrane added that North
Shore residents are well known for
their charitable spirit, and she
hopes the *‘Extra Helpings’? booth
will act as a permanent, high-
profile facility mirroring the at-
titudes of the community.

Lonsdale Quay is also a believer
in the proposal. Quay manage-
ment have committed free imar-
ket-level space and free refriger-
ation space to the organization.

“If che space they will be using
starting Dec. 2 is rented some-
where down the road, the Quay is
committed to providing room for
a new location in the market,”
said Lonsdale Quay spokesman
Janet King.

Current market tenants will also
be covtributors to the booth, put-
ting to good use baked goods and
other food items that up until now
have been thrown away.

One of the immediate benefac-
tors of the program will be the
North Shore Christmas Bureau,
distributor of Christmas hampers
to the needy on the North Shore.

In the past, the hampers have
been sorely lacking in fresh fruits
and other perishables, important
ingredients in a winter's diet.

SOS and the bureau have con-
nected, and this year substantial
amounts of the food donated at
the market booth will be directed
to the Christmas hamper program.

The opening launch of the SOS
“Extra Helpings’’ booth will take
place on the night of the Quay’s
annual ‘‘Festive Eve’ celebra-
tions, Wednesday, Dec. 2, from 7
p.m. to 9 p.m.

SOS is one of the largest private
non-profit sources of funds for
hunger relief.

SOS's Taste of The Nation is an
annual benefit to raise funds and
awareness for organizations
alleviating hunger around = the
world.

This year’s nationwide single-
day event -— in Vancouver at the
Trade and Convention Centre —
raised over $3 million.

The booth at Lonsdale Quay
will accept cash donations, and
will also be selling SOS merchan-
dise (cookbooks, T-shirts, cards,
calendars) to help defer operating
expenses.

“We are also looking for vol-
unteers to help in all facets of the
operation,”’ added Tracey.

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