Heading into Thanksgiving, here's how food banks in Thunder Bay, Ont., are handling rising demands
More people need food and don't have the extra cash to donate to others, experts say
With Thanksgiving around the corner, those that provide food services in Thunder Bay, Ont., are seeing firsthand how the rising cost of living is sending more people to their doors.
Food Bank Canada's Poverty Report Card released this month gave Ontario a D- for issues of food insecurity, housing costs and social assistance levels. Much of the rest of the country didn't pass with flying colours, either.
As more people are in need of food, fewer people have the extra cash to donate to charities – something CEO David Long of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank has called "a perfect storm."
The rising cost of living has shown up in a big way in northwestern Ontario, with organizations such as the Regional Food Distribution Association (RFDA) seeing more people than ever accessing food.
"It just disappears so quickly. The increased demand right across the region is really hard to keep up with," said the RFDA's executive director, Volker Kromm.
While COVID-19 has largely subsided, so, too, have the extra pandemic supports from the government. At the same time, food prices have gone up and the supply chain remains disrupted, Kromm said.
The RFDA serves around 2,500 unique individuals in Thunder Bay alone, with upwards of 9,000 to 12,000 people across the region, he said.
"We've had to stop serving the far north because we just don't have the food," he said.
Busiest day of the year
For the Dew Drop Inn, Thanksgiving is their Super Bowl. Kitchen manager Julio Chiodo says the organization is expecting to serve more than 700 meals on Monday, surpassing last year's record of 682.
It's also anticipating it will beat last year's record of 122,000 meals served altogether.
"We're projecting 165,000 [meals] this year because we're already 23,000 over where we were at this point last year," Chiodo said. "The needs are outweighing what we have in our stock."
When asked what donations they're most in need of, he answered "unfortunately, everything."
Although there's been generous support from other organizations and local businesses – especially for the upcoming turkey dinner – it's hard to keep the pantry full.
Despite the challenges at hand, the Dew Drop Inn is never closed.
"We're open 365 days of the year because hunger doesn't take a strike for no one, so we're open all the time," Chiodo said.
The season of food drives
Leading into the Thanksgiving weekend, the RFDA is running its annual Harvest for Hunger Food Drive from Thursday through Saturday in hopes of stocking up for the upcoming holidays.
"We use the food drive as sort of a kicking off point [for] awareness, if you will, for food security in Thunder Bay and the region," said the RFDA's community services and sustainability manager, Brendan Carlin.
However, as he pointed out, "the need is all year round and it's getting harder for us to keep the shelves stocked through that entire period."
Monetary donations are always helpful, but the staples of soup, beans, pasta, pasta sauce, cereal, and canned fruits and vegetables are always needed, he said.
"We do our best and we've managed to keep up so far due to the generosity of the people in Thunder Bay, but there's going to come a time where it's going to be really hard if we don't get extra funding or figure some things out," said Carlin.
Supports for students
Next month, Confederation College will be running its annual food drive, SUCCI Stock the Bank.
Robin Gathercole is president of the Student Union of Confederation College (SUCCI), and said the food bank tends to see higher usage at the start of each semester and when people's Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) grants begin to run low.
"Especially with a lot of new international students new to Canada, I think they're still getting used to the community [and] where they can get their groceries," Gathercole said.
SUCCI Stock the Bank is usually a success – with different departments competing against each other for the most donations – but Gathercole said it's important for people to remember that students on a budget also need access to affordable, nutritious meals.
"When I was a student, Kraft dinner and ramen noodles was my diet of choice," he said. "I came back as a mature student a couple years ago and I knew the importance of eating healthy and that made a big difference, study-wise and just mental health-wise."
Food insecurity affects people of all ages and backgrounds, and Gathercole encourages the community to pitch in where they can.
"Help support the other food banks as well and we can all work together," he said.
A list of organizations that provide food services in the Thunder Bay area can be found here.
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