Western Forest Products has donated $5,000 to the Chemainus Harvest House Society’s Food Bank as part of a $100,000 total donation to support 13 different community-based organizations delivering food bank services in areas where the company operates.
“The Chemainus Harvest House Food Bank is extremely grateful for the generous ongoing support of Western Forest Products, and in particular its recent $5,000 donation,” noted Jan Aikman, chair of the Chemainus Harvest House Food Bank. “Supporting the community in this way is so important, and Western Forest Products is really playing a leadership role with this major program of support for food banks across Vancouver Island.
“Currently Harvest House provides food support to more than 400 adults and 100 children through its Chemainus and Crofton weekly food deliveries. In the past two weeks, the number of families needing food assistance has started to increase. The board and many volunteers at Chemainus Harvest House have been working hard to ensure that the food bank is ready to meet increased need for food support in the fall when the anticipated impact of the COVID virus on the economy is expected to hit full force. The gift of Western Forest Products comes at an important time. It will really help Chemainus Harvest House in ensuring that nobody in our communities goes hungry.”
The cheque was presented Friday by Western Forest Products’ Chemainus sawmill manager Kevin Somerville to Aikman and volunteer John Siebring at Harvest House headquarters in the basement of the Chemainus United Church. Safety protocols were in place to maintain physical distance during the presentation.