Food Bank demand surges in Brandon

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This article was published 28/10/2023 (1065 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The rising cost of food has led to an unprecedented increase in visits to food banks across Brandon, according to operators of the organizations. The strain on local food banks has become particularly evident.

“The number of people coming to our food bank for hampers has increased significantly,” Samaritan House Ministries executive director Barbara McNish told the Sun.

“From January this year, we have seen 865 new clients. This year, we’ve distributed 14,107 monthly hampers compared to 12,000 last year.”

McNish explained that weekly hampers have also become necessary due to people struggling to make it through the month.

The demand surge is not limited to Brandon. Food Banks Canada also found that banks across Canada experience overwhelming demand with almost two million visits in one month.

“Relentless inflation and a broken social safety net have caused many people who never thought they would need a food bank to walk through the doors for the first time. With food banks across Canada in crisis mode, as demand reaches new all-time highs, we must ask: when is it enough before we act?” Food Banks Canada chief executive officer Kirstin Beardsley said in a statement issued recently.

“In 2022, we served 39,560 meals out of our kitchen,” Helping Hands Centre of Brandon executive director Amanda Bray told the Sun.

“In September this year, we did approximately 3,900 meals, up 23 per cent from the previous year when we did about 3,200 meals. A lot of them will tell me that this is the only meal that they will have for the day and that’s a huge challenge.”

Bray said her organization has been seeing many people on fixed incomes and that the majority of its clients are seniors and low-income families, while about 20 to 30 per cent experience housing insecurity.

While Helping Hands Centre relies entirely on community support for supplies and food, Bray said the organization is in the process of submitting applications for funding at both the provincial and federal levels. The group, she added, has received support from the City of Brandon and some private organizations.

“It’s the everyday living costs that are going up,” Brandon Food Council chair Olivia Boyce said, underlining the broader issue. “When we look at household food insecurity, it’s a measure of material deprivation. It’s measuring people’s ability to purchase food based on their income.”

Boyce said that “food insecurity” gauges people’s ability to purchase food based on their income. Boyce also pointed out that a substantial portion of those who can’t afford or don’t have food do not turn to food banks for assistance.

Therefore, to her, the significant increase in food bank use raises concerns and suggests a growing number of people who struggle with hunger silently.

“This issue extends beyond employment situations, as many individuals facing food insecurity are employed,” Boyce said. “In addressing this predicament, it is important to implement strategies such as income supplements or top-ups to ensure people can access the food they need.”

Boyce urged the need for advocating policy changes at the government level to ensure individuals can afford food. She noted that the reliance on food banks to bridge the gap between income and food access perpetuates a concerning cycle, leading to questions about where the responsibility lies.

» aodutola@brandonsun.com

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