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Striking teachers set up food bank

SURREY - With the teachers' full-scale strike now underway and the BCTF's strike fund having already dried up, the Surrey Teachers Association is taking it upon themselves to start a food bank to support striking members.

According to STA president Jennifer Wadge, the bank is being created after $10,000 in grocery store gift cards were quickly snapped up by members, who have been without strike pay for two weeks now."We planned to keep purchasing gift cards but decided to supplement the obvious need by also set up a food bank in our office," said Wadge. "We know we have TTOCs (teachers on call) who are just scraping by.A lot of them are actually making below the poverty line, as well as new teachers and single parents who were contacting us letting us know they needed some support."With that in mind, Wadge said her the STA office would be transforminginto a members food bank where any food donations will be handed out to those most in need within the union."We put out a call for donations to our members and started getting food," said Wadge. "So hopefully we'll get it going by the end of this week and get the food to the members who really need it."This isn't the first time that the STA has provided such a service for its members."We did the same thing when we went out for two weeks in 2005. It was very popular then," she said.As in 2005, this year's food bank will be also be available to CUPE support workers. While not on strike themselves, the school support workers have been honouring the picket lines and walking alongside the teachers in support, resulting in them also only receiving strike pay."We've been really lucky in surrey that the CUPE support staff have been so supportive. A lot of it is their issues too," said Wadge. "They've been really great about coming out and even though it's not their strike, when I goto schools there are just as many CUPE employees picketing with teachers and the food bank will be open to them too because we recognize they are taking a financial hit as well. The solidarity is really appreciated."The food bank is now up and running and Wadge noted that while they should be good until the end of June, if the strike continues into the summer months and September, resources could also be stretched at the STA."We know a lot of the members most affected by the financial hardships are most often the ones that take work in the summer, as summer school teachers," she said.MEDIATOR STILL NEEDED In the latest turn of events in the ongoing teacher strike, veteran mediator Vince Ready has declined a request to be involved in the labour dispute, citing a busy schedule. Ready was approached after the BCTF and the province expressed desires last week to seek mediation for the dispute.cpoon@thenownewspaper.com