In an effort to assist not-for-profit, charitable and social enterprise organizations, the The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (MSDPR) released $14 million province-wide for the Critical Food Infrastructure Fund.  The Public Heath Association of BC along with the MSDPR and Food Banks BC, also just announced The Resilient North Fund, allocating $5 million to food programs from hot meals, community fridges, new freezers, or feasts

Organizations in the north can apply to the Critical Food Infrastructure Fund on the United Way website.

In 2018, the BC government announced a poverty reduction strategy to battle the cost of living, inflation, social assistance programs, and reduce overall poverty in B.C. by 25% and child poverty by 50% by 2024. The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction has made strides in action items that effect British Columbians living in uncertainty about their financial security.

In a previous article, CICK News spoke with Captain Geoff Butt, from the Price Rupert Salvation Army who has witnessed a new trend called the "working poor" needing to access social services such as food banks, hampers, and assistance programs that they didn't before.

The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (MSDPR), Minister Malcolmson commented on the target goals for poverty reduction for British Columbians. "We did have a goal in that first poverty reduction strategy of reducing poverty in BC by 25% across the board and then child poverty by 50% and we exceeded those targets actually but, it was a mix in a real diversity of approaches. We increased assistance rates five times, including increasing the shelter rate payments for the first time in 16 years. We increased the minimum wage five times so that BC's is now the highest of any province.

We just brought in the BC Family Benefit, which used to be called the Child Opportunity Benefit. And then just historic investments in child care and affordable housing, all things that, you know, take the edge off the cost of living."

Food Banks Canada released their Poverty Report Card in September 2023, targeting and rating each provinces strategies, tactics, policies and feedback on its social services. BC received a D+ rating, which was the federal average across Canada's provinces and territories.

But there is still much to be done, according to Minister Malcolmson, with new and updated strategies being announced in the Spring of 2024 by her office.

Listen to Minister Malcolmson's full interview in the link below.