By PAN Contributor Christine Winterburn
The 7-10 Club provides bag lunches 5 days a week Monday to Friday for those living on the streets and suffering from food insecurity. This is a huge problem in the City of Nanaimo. So many are not getting enough food and it’s heartbreaking. There are very few resources in this city for those who are unhoused and who need to access food.
I volunteer one morning a week from 6:15-7:15. Yes, that’s early in the morning and I know many people out there are not morning people. However, it is only for an hour, and we accomplish a lot in one hour. There are usually three of us: one person makes the sandwiches, one person wraps them and another fills all of the lunch bags. There are usually at least 4-5 items in the bags, including yogurt, treats from Starbucks, Rice Krispie squares, fruit snacks and any other items we have that day, plus the sandwich. We make anywhere from 100-130 meat and peanut butter and jam sandwiches in that one hour. It’s like a little assembly line.
The 7-10 Club is really in need of more volunteers. We can get the job done with only 2 of us but it is a lot easier with 3. Plus, when there are 3 people, we have the time to make extra sandwiches. If this is something that you or anyone you know might be interested in, I would encourage you to contact Gord Fuller at info.710club@gmail.com. It is only a commitment of one hour a week, and you are helping so many people.
I know 100 people is only a fraction of those who are out there suffering from food insecurity, but it’s 100 people that at least get one meal that day. I think sometimes those of us who are lucky enough to always have enough to eat forget what it’s like for the folks who suffer from food deprivation daily. We don’t think about the unhoused or low-income families out there not getting enough food to eat. Not having enough food or enough healthy food can also lead to a whole host of other problems. It’s also incredibly uncomfortable to be hungry all the time. Just think about the last time you were really hungry, and you couldn’t eat. It’s not a very nice feeling.
It makes my heart happy knowing I can help a few people get some food in their stomachs that day. It has also made me a lot more grateful for the food that I have.
Poverty Advocacy Nanaimo 