At Quest Food Exchange in 2009 there were:

• 12174 volunteer hours were donated
• $5.1 million dollars worth of food rescued
• 115 cubic yards of recycled material diverted from the landfill in, or a volume that would fill 57 full-sized pick-up trucks, or 17 tonnes of carbon emissions
• 290 partnering Social Service Agencies
• 390 partnering Food Vendors supplying food
• 109,088 shopping trips to Quest’s three low-cost food stores by our clients
• Only 24 paid employees

In the Lower Mainland and BC:

• The Lower Mainland has the second highest poverty rate in Canada
• The amount of people requiring food assistance increased by 16% over that period. – Hunger Count Report 2009.
• 8.8 per cent of Canada’s population, or 2.7 million people, will experience food insecurity at some point during the year. – Hunger Count 2009 Report.
• The poverty rate in BC among children in families where 1 or both parents worked fulltime, year round, was the highest in the country at 10.1% compared to 7.3% for Canada as a whole.
• According to Stats Canada the increase in welfare caseloads for December 2009 in BC was 33.2%, the highest in the nation.
• A family of four on income assistance would need more than 100% of their income for shelter and food only. – Cost of Eating Report 2010.
• Food and shelter costs have increased significantly over the past decade, while income assistance rates have remained virtually unchanged and minimum wage has not increased.
• In October 2009 BC’s unemployment rate was 8.3%, the highest it has been since September 2003. – BC Stats and Data Services