Alan Mayhew is a Williams Lake senior who relies on the Salvation Army food bank each month.
Single, with a total income of $1,490 a month from disability and Canada Pension combined, he said he appreciates the program.
“The price of groceries is insane and unbelievable.”
He lives by himself in an apartment over an office in the industrial section of the city.
In exchange for subsidized rent, he acts as a caretaker for his cousin and her husband who own a business there.
“It has a bathroom and shower stall and little mini kitchen so I have everything I need to survive,” he said. “I pick up garbage around the yard and make sure the gate is closed or unlock it if a trucker needs to come in.”
Sometimes he collects pop bottles and gets enough money to put gas in his 2006 pickup truck.
“It makes me feel human again to get to drive around.”
Once a week he will make himself a fancy meal, usually a steak with potatoes and canned vegetables from the food bank to boost his morale.
But often in the days leading up to when he receives his disability and pension money, he eats peanut butter or cheese spread on toast.
Mayhew’s life was not always this way.
He was married, had a family, owned a home and worked.
His jobs ranged from being a network installer, to microwave technician and power plant installer.
“I subcontracted for Rogers, Telus, Del. I went across Canada upgrading to the 5G network.”
His last job was with a furniture company in Kelowna, but that came to an end when he injured himself lifting a couch.
The medical advice he received was that he could not work lifting furniture any longer.
Mayhew returned to Williams Lake two years ago, where he had lived previously with his dad when he was a teenager.
When he was 17 he was in a motorcycle crash at the Y-intersection.
“A motorhome turned in front of me and I torpedoed right through the front grill and landed by the driver’s tire,” he said.
“I was either knocked out or in shock I don’t know. I saw a flash of light and then don’t remember a single thing but waking up in the hospital.”
He sustained minimal injuries, but a scrape on his hip got infected a few days after the crash and resulted in complications that bother him all these years later, along with some other health problems.
Mayhew is among a growing number of seniors using food banks.
Williams Lake Salvation Army director of family services and community outreach Tamara Robinson said 13 per cent of the people accessing the food bank are 65 years and older and 47 per cent are 45 to 64 years old.
“This October in the 45 to 64 age group we had 117 people and for the 65-plus there were 45 people,” she said.
Alexis Blueschke, a public dietitian for Interior Health, said in light of the rising inflation rates and the cost of food, eating a well-balanced diet can be expensive.
Blueschke offered some tips for seniors when it comes to trying to eat a variety of foods.
“Filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables is great for fibre, but fresh produce is often very expensive, especially going into the winter.”
Frozen fruits and vegetables are almost third of the price typically and are just as equally nutritious so they are a really good option, she said.
When people increase fibre it is important to increase water intake too, she added.
Making sure to eat protein every day is also important.
“Often people think protein and think meat, but meat is very expensive.”
She suggested less expensive protein options such as eggs, which are very nutritionally dense.
Canned beans, peanut butter, nuts and seeds and nut butter are other good sources of protein, as well as milk and dairy products.
A report titled Food Costing in BC 2022 by the BC Centre for Disease Control showed the average monthly cost of food for a male, aged 51 to 70 years, was $335.
In some cases, once rent is paid, there is not enough money left to afford nutritious food, noted the report.
Food bank and services tips
The Williams Lake Salvation Army provides monthly hampers through its food bank program and clients are eligible for up to two additional emergency hampers a year.
Breakfast is served Monday to Friday in the community hall from 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., with the exception of Wednesdays when there is a pancake breakfast from 7 a.m. to 7:45 a.m.
A share shelf with fresh vegetables, dairy products and bread is available Monday to Friday and there is no limit to the number of days someone can access it.
The Women’s Contact Society has a monthly good food box program available to seniors in need. People wanting more information can contact reception at 250-392-4118.
St. Peter’s Anglican Church serves a soup and bun lunch on the second Friday of each month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the priority for low income people, although everyone is welcome. On that Friday the church also operates a free store.
St. Peter’s has also started a Saturday evening spaghetti dinner, the third Saturday of the month from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Supper is by donation, but if people cannot afford to donate they are always welcome.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul Sacred Heart Williams Lake has a food bank on Mondays, beginning at 1 p.m. Volunteers distribute the food from the lower parking lot.
In B.C. people can call 811 and ask to speak to a registered dietitian if they have concerns or things they want to talk about.