Food bank demand almost double according to VP

The food bank is experiencing a new kind of demand this summer.

CEO John Bailey said an alarming number of wage earners with full-time jobs are now needing to access the food bank.

“That’s something we’ve never seen before in our organization, is those unemployment numbers going down, but food bank usage going up,” said Bailey.

While a lot of people may be feeling the pressure on their own household budgets, Bailey said the community continues to step up.

“We’re also seeing a tremendous amount of support from our community to make sure we are able to meet that demand,” he said.

The food bank does not receive any federal or provincial funding and relies heavily on the community for help.

While they are always accepting donations of non-perishable food items like dry pasta, pasta sauce and canned protein, donations of money are even more helpful.

“Your local food bank can stretch a dollar further than you can at the grocery store,” said David Froh, Vice President at the food bank.

“One dollar secures three meals.”

He said they have seen a doubling of demand for their services over the last two years.

“This month we will have fed over 13,000 people in our community, almost half of which are kids,” said Froh.

While the number of folks they serve is no reason to celebrate said Bailey, he is proud of their team and the community for making it all possible.