In a heartening display of front line workers going above and beyond yet again to help their community, the official union representing nurses across B.C. is making a sizeable donation to help those suffering food insecurity in the province.
The BC Nurses’ Union announced last week that they are making a $10,000 donation to Food Banks BC — an organization that allocates funding to food banks across the province to help them buy and distribute food, pay employees, and cover other costs essential to the delivery of their food programs.
“As British Columbians grapple with COVID-19, we are grateful for this opportunity to give back to the communities that have been so incredibly supportive of health-care workers during the pandemic,” said BCNU president Christine Sorensen in a statement.
“Food banks have sounded the alarm for several weeks that they need extra help.”
As these charitable organization are no longer accepting non-perishable food item donations in an effort to curb the spread of the deadly virus, monetary donations are more important than ever to help food banks leverage their greater buying power.
Individuals who wish to support the BCNU initiative by donating to Food Banks BC themselves can now do so through the BCNU website.
All financial contributions made to the nurses’ union fund between now and May 17th, 2020 will be sent directly to Food Banks BC.
“As we try to help food banks meet an incredible challenge, we encourage all British Columbians who are able, to consider giving at this time,” adds Sorensen.
“The Fund is a really easy mechanism to show support for nurses, and for nurses to support their communities in BC.”
In other efforts to help those suffering from food insecurity, the provincial government provided Food Banks BC with an emergency grant of $3 million on March 30th, authorizing them to distribute the funds to organizations on a need basis.
Ten days ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the federal government would chip in with a $100 million investment for organizations like Food Banks Canada and the Salvation Army, as well as Indigenous communities who are in need.
Locally, the Food Share Network has compiled a list of places where vulnerable populations can access services related to food, shelter, health care and counselling.
See all the latest updates about the global COVID-19 pandemic on Vancouver Island
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 1,920,258.
Over 119,400 people have died from the illness and 443,786 have made a full recovery.
