Barrie Food Bank falls short of holiday fundraising targets

With the festive season now over, so too is the Barrie Food Bank's holiday fundraising campaign, which fell short of its target to raise $1 million in cash donations and half a million pounds in food.

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"We got very close with the financial donations - we came in at 870,000, and the food we came in at just over 200,000 pounds," said James Ward, Barrie Food Bank operations manager.

Although the food bank only reached about 40 per cent of its food donation goal, staff still see the campaign as a win.

"This December for us was the largest December in our history as an organization. We are 153 per cent up over the previous December," noted Ward.

But Ward feels moving forward is going to be a challenge, with the typical dip seen in January each year.

"It's really feast and famine. It's like the faucet turns off after Christmas. We still have an equal number of people relying on the food bank for support, but really, the donations all but completely stop," Ward said.

Gord Widdes has been volunteering for the past two years at the food bank and said the numbers this year have spiked tremendously.

The food bank currently sees 6,000 to 8,000 clients a month.

"I work in the checkout area, so I get to chat with people when they're coming through and there's lots of stories. People that have not been here for some time are coming back now because they have the need," he said.

Widdes said many of the clients do have jobs but still can't keep up with the rising cost of living.

"We have seen a really good intake of donations since Thanksgiving and over the holidays. But our demands are going up to, so I encourage everyone that came to continue supporting the food bank," Widdes said.

The Barrie Food Bank's next big fundraiser is the Spring Drive in March.