Barrie Food Bank raises $150,000 with Spring Campaign, short of target
With the start of a new month comes the end of the Barrie Food Bank's spring campaign, which aimed to raise $250,000 and 100,000 pounds of food.
"We did well on the food side. We ended up with about 140,000 pounds of food. On the financial side, we were a little lighter than we had hoped at $150,000," shared the Barrie Food Bank's executive director Sharon Palmer.
Palmer said the food bank has consistently been seeing around 7,000 clients per month, but those numbers have recently levelled off.
"It's always dependent on the economy and what's happening on a broader perspective. With inflation coming down a little bit in the last month or so, that's a good sign," she noted.
The Sharing Place in Orillia reported a similar trend.
"We're seeing about a 30 to 40 per cent increase year over year. [The] last few months, it started to plateau", said Chris Peacock, The Sharing Place executive director.
Peacock currently assists around 2,200 individuals monthly, with an exceptionally high demand over the Easter weekend.
"Holiday seasons like Easter... the demand for our services increase," he said. "Anytime there's any increase to household budget. If people want to host individuals over for a holiday meal, it means that they have to find food, find money they didn't have planned."
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
The Sharing Place and Barrie Food Bank consistently see a significant increase in first-time clients.
"Definitely, more seniors in our community are coming to access the sharing place, which is wonderful to see those individuals ask for support and help. Definitely families, individuals, single moms, and single dads," said Peacock.
"The main thing we would like to see is the financial donations because that allows us to buy the milk, the meat, the dairy. Those are the items we don't get donations for," explained Palmer.
The Barrie Food Bank's next campaign is the Home Runs for the Hungry fundraiser on May 4. The goal is to raise $30,000. Tickets for the event are available online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Toronto eliminated from PWHL playoffs
Toronto has been eliminated from the PWHL playoffs.
Information commissioner faces $700K funding shortfall, says system is 'overwhelmed'
Canada's information commissioner says her office is facing a $700,000 funding shortfall that could impact its ability to investigate complaints about government transparency and accountability.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Backlash over NFL player Harrison Butker's commencement speech has reached a new level
The NFL is distancing itself from controversial comments by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address.
Dabney Coleman, actor who specialized in curmudgeons, dies at 92
Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in '9 to 5' and the nasty TV director in 'Tootsie,' has died. He was 92.
Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.