Clear with a few showers,

DERAILED: 1 2
A small Sulphur spill was

HOMIES: 13

Feature home plus real

3 - Friday, March 8, 1985 - North Shore News

evs

ON STAGE: 52

Scene Changes looks at

Crossfire...........7
Entertainment ..... 49
Feature Home......13
Mailbox...........9
Scene Changes.....52
TV Times.........54
What's Going On. ..53

entertainment at home and

Friday, mainly cloudy over

the weekend,

the result.

. Shore

food

line

growing

THE NEED for food assistance on the North
Shore is on the increase, says Food Bank volun-
teer Jack Hegeman, working out of North Shore
Neighbourhood House in North Vancouver.

By BARRETT FISHER

“TY don’t like to use the
word frightening,’'
Hegemuan says about the rise
in numbers attending the
food bank, ‘but it concerns
us. Last summer and early
fel we saw a 10 per cent
dscrease, averaging 170
people a month. In January
the average rose to 196 and
February the average was
230. It must refiect the
unresolved econonmic situa-
don in the province. They
can say what they want ii
Victoria about jobs, but
from what we see in food
lines, unemployment is in-
creasing.”

Anyone who is in need can
attend the Food bank,
Hegeman explains. ‘*There is
no ‘need test’ on our part, If
your income is insufficient,
and you're in need, you can
come to the food bank and
register. We want to know
the source of income for
Statistics, but not the
amount.”

The majority of patrons
are welfare recipients, he
says. Some people work
part-time, some receive
Unemployment Insurance,
some are pensioners and a
minority have no income at
all.

The amount of young
people — single parents and
young mates especially —
shows a startling majority,
Hegeman says. ‘It's very
signifigant.’*

One single mother Mary
(not her real name), 24, has
& young son and has been
coming to the Food Bank
for about three months now,
Living off a welfare cheque
of $635 a month, she says
she can barely make ends
meet without making the
weekly trip for groceries.

She recently maved from a
two-bedroom apartment to a

one-bedroom to save money.
Paying a monthly amount of
$400 for rent, $50 for hydro
and $20 for faundry, she has
$165 left over to pay back
money she has borrowed
throughout the month, and
to buy fresh groceries like
miik and produce.

She doesn’t show up at the
Food Bank the Wednesday
she receives her welfare che-
que, because she goes to the
bank. and has money to
spend on groceries.
Hegemun says welfare che-
que day has the lowest tur-
nout, and the week before
the cheques arrive has the
highest.

“It doesn't bother me to
come here,’ Mary says
soberly. “‘It's something |
have to do. | think of my
son first and then me.”
Then with a smile, ‘'ft’s a bit
like a coffee clutch, a party,
coming here, meeting
others."*

Another Food Bunk
visitor Joe (also not his real
name) says he doesn’t enjoy
his visits to the Food Bunk
at all. ‘le’s not very pleas-
ant. Tf Pve got something
else to do | will."

The 27-year-old, who
hasn't found work, says. ‘It
seems futile to look for work
when there’s not much out
there and minimum wage
isn’t much when you can
make more on welfare. [
have to manage my money
well. { can’t aftord to drink
or smoke or te go out for
entertainment,”

Thirty-two collection
boxes for food donations
have .been distributed all
over the North Shore, from
Horseshoe Bay to Deep
Cove.

The food is then collected
and miken te the central
Vancouver Food Bank,
where it is redistributed into
nutritional bags, Hegeman
explains,

estate news in today’s
Home section.

across fown,

ied ~ |
NEWS photo Stuart Davis

BAGS AND BAGS of groceries are brought into (he Food Bank at North Stare Neighbourhood House every Wednesday.
where those in need line-up for their order of bread, eggs, canned goeds, staples and fresh fruit and vegetables when in
season, The Food Bunk is run by volunteers — acighbors helping neighbors.