Food bank visits up 90 per cent in Canada, 81 per cent in Red Deer in five years

“We are not far off in our estimates. There are seasons where demand can fluctuate, such as times when people may be able to find seasonal work, which alleviates some of their immediate concerns. But the trend is most definitely on a steep increase.”

The survey by Food Banks Canada also found that nearly 30 per cent of food banks in Canada have run out of food in the last year.

“Certainly, we’ve seen twice now in under a year a time when the shelves in the warehouse were absolutely empty of stock,” Thomson added.

“We make the community aware of the situation, and we’re always astounded at the generous and energetic response from the community to step up in our times of need.”

Data has revealed that in Canada, one-third of food bank users are children but in Red Deer approximately 40 per cent of the visitors are children.

“The problem is not getting any better, and we don’t see it improving any time soon,” Thomson said.

“Food Banks Canada has indicated that food banks across the country work to address food insecurity in both the immediate and long term.

Here at the Red Deer Food Bank, we are working on social enterprises that provide food services that support our hamper program, and now we are developing our own food production capacity to secure sources of fresh produce as well.

“These are just a few of the positive steps we can take to help alleviate hunger today and prevent hunger tomorrow. But we need continuous, year-round support to get us through those lean months.

“We want to prevent having to post more pictures of empty warehouse shelves on social media. And we can do that together, as a community.”

by rdnewsNOW staff

Food bank visits up 90 per cent in Canada, 81 per cent in Red Deer in five years

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