Surrey Food Bank says it’s getting creative to keep shelves full

It’s been a rough year for charities across the country that have been dealing with higher demand and lower-than-usual donations, and the Surrey Food Bank has not been immune.

After setting numerous records for monthly usage this year, executive director Kim Savage tells 1130 NewsRadio their numbers show no sign of slowing down.

“We’ve just seen month over month over month — our numbers continue to creep up. We’re hovering right around 22,000 client visits per month right now, which is a whole lot of folks.”

Savage says on Dec. 23 and 24, between 550 and 600 families were served.

She admits it’s been challenging to keep up with the needs of the community.

“We’re hanging in there. Obviously, for a lot of charities it’s tough. We’ve been very proactive to put a lot of heart and hustle into fundraising and raising awareness about the need. The community is responding but we’re just hovering right at that point of having just enough for everybody.”

“It’s certainly hard to see so many families continue to struggle week after week.”

To ensure they don’t run out of supplies, Savage explains they’ve reached for outside help to keep things running smoothly.

“One of the things we started earlier this year is we started very purposely collaborating with a couple of other organizations where we shared what we had. We shared our food. We shared our resources, and it has meant there has been more food in the system to distribute around to all of our clients, which has been really, really good.”

Working with grocery stores, local farmers, and even some corporations has had a positive effect on those who need the most help.

“There’s definitely more availability. There’s definitely more selection. By our metrics, we are giving out twice as much food this year as we were this time last year, which is a real credit to the community. They’re really stepping up. It just means all of the food coming through the food bank is better quality, there’s more of it and that really benefits our clients.”

Looking ahead to 2026, Savage is trying to remain optimistic they’ll be able to serve the growing demand.

“We have planned for demand to be higher. I’m hopeful it won’t be higher, because if it’s not higher, then it means folks are doing a little bit better in our economy and in our communities, but we’ve certainly planned that we’re going to see continued growth in our numbers. When we talk about what else we’re planning for in 2026, we’re going to really continue to lean into that collaboration with other organizations, because it’s just made such a huge difference for us.”

Despite being hopeful, Savage is also being realistic.

“I’m always concerned. Charities and the social purpose sector are a difficult place to work, and you always have that pressure of, ‘Is there going to be enough?’ I’m an optimist… but I also know that we are vulnerable just like every other charity to what’s going on in the economy. I’m a little bit worried, but I’m going to choose to be hopeful.”

During this holiday season, which is hard on a lot of people, Savage hopes people don’t forget about their local food bank.

“I think certainly for our team, the emotional wear and tear of seeing so many families struggling certainly takes its toll on our own mental health. It’s certainly hard to see so many families continue to struggle week after week, so we as a staff try to take good care of ourselves so we don’t get compassion fatigue, so we can really be serving our clients really well.”

The Surrey Food Bank accepts both food and monetary donations.

Overall, Food Banks Canada says more than 2 million people nationwide use the food bank every month, and nearly 30 per cent of food banks report running out of food before demand has been met.