When Donna Vasallo lost her housing on Salt Spring Island, the mother of two figured she would have to leave the island – until Country Grocer, where she works, offered shelter for her family in a two-bedroom trailer.

“It's meant a lot, like thank goodness,” said Vassallo, who has now been living in that trailer for about four years.

“I'm so grateful that I have what I have, because I can afford to feed my kids and pay bills.”

Vassallo’s trailer, equipped with hot water and a garden, is one of 25 owned by Country Grocer, along with six homes across the island.

Donna Vassallo, a deli worker at Country Grocer on Salt Spring, lives with her teenage daughters in a trailer provided by her employer. (Emily Fagan/CBC)

The grocery store is the island’s largest employer, according to opera

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