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Food bank use up 20%, but donations dwindling

It's been a tough year for food banks across the province as job losses led to increased need and corporate cutbacks resulted in a major dip in donations.

A special report released yesterday by the Ontario Association of Food Banks suggests, among other things, that demand has jumped as much as 20% on average during the recession.

"The results are of serious concern to us," Adam Spence, executive director of the OAFB, said yesterday.

"Ontario's food banks are under tremendous pressure due to growing unemployment, continually increasing food prices and rising demand," he said.

"The need for food bank services is skyrocketing at a time when many food banks are receiving fewer corporate and individual donations."

The OAFB report, which highlights the negative impact of the current economic downturn on families and food banks, was released on the eve of Thanksgiving weekend as most food banks are busy trying to stock their shelves.

Gail Nyberg, executive director of the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto, said the current fall food drive has been "a little slow so far."

The goal for the drive, which ends Oct. 23, is 500,000 pounds of food and $500,000. But as of yesterday, Daily Bread had collected only 190,000 pounds and $145,000 in donations.

"We've got a long way to go," Nyberg said. "It will be an uphill battle."

She said Daily Bread has seen a 16% increase in the number of clients this year while donations haven't kept up with that increased need.

While average citizens have donate, "the bottom has fallen out" on corporate donations, Nyberg said.

"We need those to come back on line to meet the increased need," she added.

Although the faltering economy seems to have turned a corner, Nyberg said she doesn't expect the need for food banks to drop any time soon.

"Those who rely on food banks were the first people affected by the recession and they will be the last to get back on their feet," she explained.

"And there's a lot of people who have ended up on EI (employment insurance) and are now finding their benefits are running out," Nyberg said. "That will cause a ripple effect for us."

THE NUMBERS

A survey of Ontario's community food banks, combined with Statistics Canada data on food prices and employment trends, found:

* Since August 2008, Ontario has lost 227,700 full-time jobs. As a result, 93% of the province's food banks have seen an increase in clients who recently became unemployed.

* More than 350,000 people rely on food banks every month in Ontario. On average, client numbers are up 20% over this time last year.

* The price of grocery items such as milk, peanut butter, pasta, flour, canned soup, baby food and potatoes increased by over 10% since January 2008.

* One in three Ontario food banks reported having difficulties meeting their clients' needs in 2009.

* Average monthly expenditures on food by Ontario's food banks increased by 84% compared to 2008. And 54% of food banks will be over their food spending projections in 2009.

* One in four food banks was forced to reduce the average hamper size to better share their food supplies.

The Daily Observer
Chris Doucette
Oct. 10, 2009