MP Barron calls for funding to support Loaves and Fishes Food Bank expansion

OTTAWA – On Monday, after more than a year of advocacy, NDP MP Lisa Marie Barron (Nanaimo-Ladysmith) once again urged the federal government to support the Loaves and Fishes Community Food Bank warehouse project. The project, which will make sure families have the food they need, has secured funding from the City of Nanaimo, the Regional District of Nanaimo, and the Province of BC, but the Liberals continue to hold out.

“Families in Nanaimo-Ladysmith are trying to get by, but times are tough with more and more people relying on food banks,” said Barron in question period on Monday. “Loaves and Fishes and its many volunteers have gone above and beyond. But they need funding to expand and to meet the growing need. Despite ample attempts, the Liberals haven’t delivered.”

As food prices continue to increase, so does the need for families to find alternative ways to put food on their tables. Loaves and Fishes currently serves more than 15,000 people across 44 communities, including 15 Indigenous communities on Vancouver Island, and the need for their free-food markets continues to grow. To accommodate this growth, Loaves and Fishes has been seeking federal funding to build a 25,000-square-foot centralized food recovery and distribution facility, which MP Barron has been repeatedly calling on the Liberal government to support.

“This government must finally provide Loaves and Fishes with the funding required so people on Vancouver Island are not left to go hungry,” said Barron. “While the Liberals hold out, the Conservatives outright block legislation that would support access to healthy foods like the School Food Program. The NDP will continue to fight for cost-saving measures to support Canadians and continue to advocate for federal Loaves and Fishes funding.”

Watch MP Barron call on the Liberals to get Loaves and Fishes the funding they need.