The Cortes Island Food Bank has seen a doubling in the number of regular clients since last year, according to food bank treasurer Filipe Figueira. He says the total now stands at about 20 individuals, compared with seven to 10 last year.

He says that spring is often the toughest time of year for people experiencing food insecurity. Many jobs on Cortes Island are seasonal, and food bank president Samantha Statton says people run short of resources by this time of year while they await spring and summer employment. She adds that it's especially tough as the cost of living keeps rising.

This Friday, April 7, the food bank will have a table set up at the weekly market, located at Mansons Community Hall, from 12-3 p.m. They will be offering quantities of free sprouted potatoes for planting. Figueira says recipients are welcome to donate a bag of potatoes back to the food bank, once they're harvested, if people have more than they can use.

The Cortes Island food bank can be reached via cortesfoodbank.ca or by emailing cortesfoodbank@proton.me. Figueira says both food and financial donations are welcome. Statton adds that food donations can't include home canning, or any opened or damaged packaging. The food bank also supplies food for pets.

Figueira and Statton discuss the current situation at the Cortes Island Food Bank in the interview below with CKTZ News: