08/19/2026
Thank you to Dillon White from the Mission Record for such a great write up!
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St. Josephβs Food Bank in Mission recently delivered 4,500 pounds of food and supplies to families affected by wildfires.
The donation was made to the SqβΓ©wqel (Seabird Island Band) Emergency Support Services last week, with food bank staff bringing a van full of supplies to the wildfire reception centre last Friday (Aug. 14).
On behalf of the First Nation and evacuees, SqβΓ©wqel extended gratitude to the Mission food bank on social media for their willingness to step forward when most needed.
β(St. Josephβs) efforts to collect and deliver food and essential supplies for those affected by the wildfires will make a meaningful difference in the lives of families facing uncertainty and displacement,β the comment reads.
SqβΓ©wqel First Nation in the Agassiz area has been welcoming wildfire evacuees at the Seabird Island Wildfire Reception Centre β open daily to support evacuees with essential services, meals, lodging, health support, and registration assistance.
St. Josephβs executive director Karen McDiarmid and operations manager Suzanne Rouleau both had an inkling the food bank should do something to support evacuees.
After contacting Food Banks BC to see if they were coordinating anything, St. Josephβs was connected with the SqβΓ©wqel Emergency Support Services team.
St. Josephβs was provided with a list of the most-needed items and put a call out to the community for donations. The food bank team also set aside some of its weekly retail food.
βWe decided we would load up our van and we filled it to almost the maximum. I think the maximum for that van is 5,000 pounds and we hit 4,500,β McDiarmid said.
While dropping off the food and supplies, McDiarmid was shocked to see the number of tents for evacuees.
βThat really hit me,β she said.
She added that she was proud of the community stepping up in a time of need and emphasized the coordinated effort needed in times of emergency.
βTo everyone who dropped off supplies or donations β thank you. Your kindness reached people who are facing some of the hardest days of their lives,β St. Josephβs said in a social media post. βMany families left their homes with only minutes to spare, unsure of what they would return to. Your support brought comfort, dignity, and hope at a moment when they needed it most.β
St. Josephβs Food Bank board chair Stephen Evans said food security agencies in the North Fraser catchment area work together and the recent events show the partnership in action.
βIβm thoroughly impressed that Seabird Island continues to support the broader community by offering access to their facilities in the times of emergencies and by partnering up with St. Josephβs Food Bank on this food security initiative,β Evans said.
