Barrie area food bank reliance surges as new Ontario report reveals usage increase
Food banks in Barrie and the surrounding area report increasing usage numbers, as a new report indicates Ontario's food bank numbers are rising.
The new provincial report from Feed Ontario revealed over 587,000 adults and children accessed a food bank between April 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022, representing a 15 per cent increase.
The Barrie Food Bank's executive director said those statistics align with their own.
"More working families and seniors are coming to the food bank," said Sharon Palmer. "So people who are working minimum wage jobs, precarious work, gig economy, if there's any kind of interruption to their wages, then they don't have the safety net."
The report noted nearly 46 per cent of food bank users pointed to the surging cost of food as their reason for utilizing the service, while over 13 per cent cited expensive housing, and nearly 10 per cent said low wages or not enough working hours were factors.
"What I found really interesting was just the analysis of how the social policies have impacted foodbank usage over the years," added Palmer. "People on ODSP, Ontario Works, minimum wage earners, it's alarming."
At the Innisfil Food Bank, numbers have gone up by 13 per cent over the last two months.
"We're definitely seeing a lot more newer first-time visitors," said Donna VanBodegom, food bank coordinator. "Twenty-six new families came alone in the last month, which is not typical and was actually a bit shocking."
At the Barrie Native Friendship Centre, Tracey Fox is trying to manage the dramatic increase in its food bank usage. As the Hunger to Hope coordinator, she said demand has increased at an unsustainable rate.
"Our direct service numbers have gone up 70 per cent," Fox said. "If I don't get any donations in, I would say in the next couple weeks, my shelves would be pretty much depleted."
Staff at area food banks added that hygiene products and winter clothing are also desperately needed in addition to food donations.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.