St. John's largest food bank struggling with rising food prices
'We've been stretched thin,' says Bridges to Hope manager Jody Williams
The cost of food is hitting one of the largest food banks in St. John's hard, at the same time it's trying to meet demand from people who are struggling to afford to live.
Bridges to Hope manager Jody Williams said they're now paying about 40 per cent more for food than before the pandemic.
That means it takes more money to stock their shelves — but it also means more money out of the wallets of those who are looking to donate.
"It's definitely a model that's not sustainable," he said. "According to my research food prices are only going to go up. The ripple effect of the pandemic, of course, is not over."
Bridges to Hope helps more than 1,000 people get food every month, but COVID-19 restrictions substantially reduced donations coming in from community, business and church food drives.
"We used to get 90 per cent of our food kind of donated," said Williams. "So we've been stretched thin and I'm hoping now things are kind of getting back to normal."
Williams said shelves are nearly empty right now and he hopes, with pandemic restrictions lifted, food drives will be back to normal this summer.
More people need help
But it's getting harder for people to afford those donations.
Supply chain issues and fuel prices — among other things — have driven up the cost of food, something Williams says he sees mirrored in a dramatic rise in demand at food banks.
Bridges to Hope is seeing a lot of new clients who have never needed the service before, he said, and a lot of them are people who work but still can't make ends meet.
"We've kind of got a new demographic, really. We've always had some working people, but we certainly didn't have this many working people," said Williams.
"We've got a lot of students … who are kind of living on a really tight budget and can't make ends meet."
Stretching a dollar
Meanwhile, those monetary donations also aren't going as far as they used to.
For those who can and are willing to organize food drives this summer, Williams said sticking to non-perishables is the best bet.
Anything that is canned or pre-made, pasta and pasta sauce, soups and anything with a long shelf life are the staples, said Williams. But, he said, it's best to reach out to the organization before setting off on a food drive, to get a list of things that are needed.
There's also a call out for volunteers who can give their time to bake bread.
With restrictions lifted, Williams said, it's time to bring back homemade bread full time, aiming at about 40 to 45 loaves a day.
"I'd much prefer to give our clients homemade bread," he said. "In times of stress it's always good to have a bit of comfort food."
With files from The St. John's Morning Show