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Eric and his family immigrated to Canada three years ago, landing in Kelowna without knowing anyone, having work lined up, or speaking any English.

In their home country in Asia, Eric had a successful career with a respected engineering firm, holding Masters degrees in Engineering and Economics. His wife is an academic and worked as a professor while raising their two daughters, who are now 14 and 9. Neither Eric nor his wife pictured starting over in a foreign country in midlife, but their eldest daughter has cerebral palsy and could not get an education in their home country. “We wanted her to have a future,” Eric says simply.

Once in Canada, so much of the family’s lives had to begin again. First, Eric’s wife focused on studying English while Eric worked as a construction labourer. When her language skills improved and she found work in education, it was Eric’s turn to study English and care for their daughters.

Though they prepared for their move and worked as much as they could, food prices were rising sharply, the family’s already tight budget became an issue. After talking with a new friend about the stress of paying their bills, Eric’s friend brought him to the Central Okanagan Food Bank to get signed up for food assistance. Monthly food hampers eased the pressure, and the children especially loved the Snack Packs. It was a small relief on Eric and his wife.

But the support that meant the most to Eric was through COFB’s More Than Food Program, which awarded him a bursary for his studies, allowing him to continue learning English without sacrificing his family’s basic needs. Eric sums it up in one sentence, “The food hampers solve a short-term problem for us, but the bursary program solves a long-term problem.”

Eric wants people to know that many families like his are working hard to build a better life. “We won’t need the food bank forever,” he says. “We need it now so we can improve our situation for our children.” When life calms down for their family, Eric wants to volunteer at the food bank and set a positive example for his daughters.