Local food bank resources stretched as demand soars

Food banks struggle amid rising costs Food bank officials are forced to make tough calls amid rising food prices.

New reports from this past week suggest that food prices in Canada are set to increase by up to five per cent in the new year, and that nearly half the food banks across the province have been forced to reduce the services they provide.

Specifically, Canada’s Food Price report finds food costs are expected to rise between three and five per cent next year.

For Simcoe County, five of seven food banks that CTV News spoke to on Thursday said they have either already cut resources or have plans to do so.

“Financial donations are coming in at plus-nine [per cent], Food recoveries, plus-33, but the demand is plus-83,” said Karen Shuh, executive director of the Barrie Food Bank, who adds that they have had to serve half dozens of eggs instead of full dozens to their clients. “We no longer purchase coffee, we no longer purchase cookies. [There are] various categories we’ve had to remove because we simply can’t afford it anymore.”

In another report, Feed Ontario finds that 40 per cent of food banks across the province have been forced to reduce the food they provide, and nearly half of them now offer fewer services than they did in 2019.

“It’s a huge concern, I’m not going to lie,” added Shuh. “When we can’t deliver what we used to be able to deliver, it hurts.”

In Orillia, executive director Chris Peacock says the Sharing Place Food Centre has not been forced to cut resources yet, but their demand keeps surging.

“Year over year, we’re up 30 per cent,” said Peacock. “And then our costs have gone up because we need to purchase more food to be able to support those individuals.”

“We’re having to purchase more proteins than we have in the past because we’re not receiving them through donations,” said Nancy Hannah, kitchen manager of the The Sharing Place Food Centre.

While Peacock says donations are paramount, so are those who volunteer their time.

“The one thing I can be optimistic about are the people in our community kind of rallying behind these problems and trying to solve them,” added Peacock.

However, the holiday season does provide some optimism.

Barrie Food Bank staff say 50 per cent of their donations come during the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

All food banks CTV News spoke with on Thursday also say the Canada Post strike has been affecting their ability to receive donations by mail. Therefore, financial donations are encouraged to be sent electronically instead.