An interesting article appeared in your Letters to the Editor, March 4 edition. A letter from Ted Roberts titled “Tax the careless.”
At the Sooke Food Bank there is an accountability structure in place that documents the number of our clients. It seems that the preferred fiscal year for any tax or rate increase begins on April 1.
Last year on that date, Hydro rates were raised by 24 per cent. It takes some time for cause and effect and coincidentally our client numbers for the Sooke Food Bank increased from a monthly average of 243 hampers from January to May, to an average of 295 from June to November. That’s an additional 52 households.
I suspect that our clients preferred to spend their small monthly earnings on necessary heat, hot water and light. It is but for the grace of the many kind citizens of Sooke and area, and some limited small grants that we diligently apply for, from anywhere we can get them, that they got food on the table for their children.
It is an excellent budgeting practice for big business and government to project costs for the fiscal year, however our clients have to budget day to day, they do not have the luxury of a credit line nor have any other alternative for food survival.
I firmly believe the Sooke Food Bank provides an essential service to the community and are there to assist in times like these.
April 1 is coming again.
Mike Thomas
Sooke Food Bank