Media Release

Emerald Foundation directs money toward critical needs of Whistler’s Food Bank

For Immediate Release – Whistler, British Columbia, April 15, 2020

Emerald Foundation

The Emerald Foundation was created in 2017 through a Whistler Community Foundation (WCF) donor advised fund that was designed to benefit the local community. Through the creation of the foundation, the donors established a vehicle to give back to initiatives that support the health and wellbeing of the community while remaining strictly anonymous.

The Emerald Foundation recently supported the Meadow Park Sport Centre cardio room expansion celebrated on February 25, 2020. And, gifts to the Whistler Multicultural Festival, the Whistler Red Cross/Emergency Social Services Disaster Management Volunteer Team, Whistler Search and Rescue Society and WCF’s Emergency Fund have also been made available since the creation of the Emerald Foundation.

Community Need

While Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS) reported an increase in monetary donations in a recent press release, WCSS Grateful for Outpouring of Support for Food Bank (Mar 31,2020), WCSS also reported the needs of the community have vastly increased. Plus, WCSS’s social enterprise revenue, from the ReUseIt and ReBuildIt Centres, has drastically decreased in the face of health and safety restrictions.

Giving in Response to Covid-19

The Emerald Foundation donors recognize the urgent need to support the Whistler Food Bank with monetary donations and is gifting $10,550 to fulfill the needs of the community. Whistler Community Foundation is proud to be a part of the Emerald Foundation’s endeavour to serve the community and bolster the health and wellbeing of community members who are facing uncertainty.

Food Bank Sees Unprecedented Ten-fold Increase

The Emerald Foundation donation is expected to help fund the purchase of food to fill the shelves at Whistler’s Food Bank which made a recent move to the Whistler Conference Centre and expanded its hours. Approximately 550 emergency food bags per week are being distributed from its new location from Monday to Friday to provide temporary assistance to community members. This number represents a ten-fold increase in emergency food bags compared to pre-Covid-19 estimates of 55 emergency food bags per week.

Donors, who have the capacity to help, can donate to the Whistler Emergency Fund through Canada Helps (canadahelps.org/en/dn/47564) or contact info@whistlerfoundation.com.