Small northern Ontario food bank sees a 150% spike in demand in the last year

Demand at the food bank in the northern Ontario town of Cochrane has increased by 150 per cent in the last year.

Ardis Proulx-Chedore, manager of the Cochrane Regional Foodbank and Neighbour to Neighbour Thrift Shop, said more than 350 families used the food bank last month.

"We had a few things in Cochrane that helped get us to this point," she said.

In August, a fire broke out at the Rockshield Engineered Wood Products plant in the town of just over 5,000 people.

"One-hundred people were laid off. That increased our usage," Proulx-Chedore.

She added that the cost of living crisis that has affected other communities across Canada has also had an impact in the Cochrane area.

"We do have a lot of what we call the working class now that are working full time jobs to pay the rent prices that are really extreme, but they are having a hard time getting by with food," she said.

A new report from Feed Ontario — a network of more than 1,200 food banks and hunger relief programs in the province — found that more than one million people in Ontario accessed a food bank from 2023 to 2024, which was a 25 per cent increase over the previous year.

"While food banks are doing their best to keep doors open and shelves full, the unprecedented need for food bank support has outpaced their capacity and the resources available to deliver these services," the report said.

The Cochrane food bank is a regional hub and also helps families from other communities, from Hearst to Kirkland Lake.

Proulx-Chedore said the thrift store associated with the food bank is a huge help. Proceeds from the store help purchase food.