20,000 Londoners can't afford food as need reaches 'record territory,' says London Food Bank

Twenty thousand Londoners can't afford food, a benchmark of need the London Food Bank called "record territory," as the charity opens its pantries to more people and families than it ever has in its 36-year history. 

The increase in food insecurity isn't because the economy was upended as it was when thousands of people lost their jobs during the days of strict pandemic lock downs — but from inflation, as the cost of everything, including housing, fuel and food, reached new heights this summer. 

"We're probably spending 15 to 20 per cent more," shopper Bob Johnson told CBC News on Thursday in the parking lot of a grocery store in the city's Commissioners and Wellington Road area. 

"It depends on the product, but it's just crazy, like bread, milk, et cetera — I think you're paying like 15 to 20 per cent more and when it comes to things like meat? Forget it." 

More people depend on the London Food Bank than ever before

In June, Canada's consumer price index, one of the most widely used measures for inflation, gained eight per cent — the largest increase in the cost of living in Canada since 1983, according to Statistics Canada and the biggest reason the London Food Bank is reporting a record-setting summer in terms of demand. 

"We're up to over 20,000 people we're trying to help every month," said Glen Pearson, one of the London Food Bank's co-directors. 

"That's record territory. We've never been anywhere close to that in our whole history of 36 years." 

Pearson said while the Food Bank helps 10,000 people directly through its pantry on Leathorne Street, it also helps another 10,000 people through supplying the city's front line charities, all of which are also feeling the pinch of inflation. 

We think people will have more trouble donating and we certainly understand that,- Glen Pearson, co-director of the London Food Bank

The situation presents a double-edged sword for the London Food Bank as it deals with an extraordinary increase in demand coupled with the potential decrease in the amount of donations ordinary families are willing to give. 

"It's really hard for people with the cost of food. So we think people will have more trouble donating and we certainly understand that."

"On the other hand, we've never had pressure on us like we did right now," he said.  "So we just have to plan and move forward the best we can." 

Pearson said part of that is having faith in a community that has never once failed to help their neighbours in times of need. 

"I don't despair, we've been in tough times before, we've just never been in tough times like this," he said. 

Same trend reflected with London's other charities

The same trend is reflected in all of the city's charities as they grapple with their loss of spending power.

Kathy Taylor, a former nurse and one of six volunteers who runs the non-profit gift shop at the London Health Sciences Centre University Hospital campus, was running all over town Thursday trying to find pop at a decent price. 

"I have gone to three different places just to try to save money for the gift shop. We're trying to keep our prices down because we're providing a service."

Taylor said the price of pop has gone up at least 50 per cent. She used to pay about five dollars for an 18-pack and now must pay closer to eight. She said the difference is cutting into the shop's profits.

"We are not making the profits we used to because of inflation," she said. "We donate whatever profits we make to important research at the hospital."