Regina Food Bank continues to see increase in usage
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought a steady rise in food bank usage across Canada.
Now record-setting inflation is keeping food banks busy.
CEO of the Regina Food Bank John Bailey, said the same can be said in the Queen City.
“We’re up about 10 per cent since January,” Bailey said. “That has a lot to do with some of the ongoing economic pressures with the pandemic but also that ties in with some of the inflationary costs we’re seeing too. It’s just more people needing our support,” he said.
Bailey said inflation has caused many people one the edge to go over to a point where they need the food banks’ support.
“Our hope is that it’s short term, but it [usage] continues to be on the rise for several months now where this inflationary pressure has been causing an increase in demand,” Bailey said.
Bailey said during the pandemic the food bank saw about 290-300 hampers per day, which is in the neighborhood of around 1,000 people per day.
Recently they have been around 320 hampers a day, which Bailey said adds another 60-70 households.
“As we go along we’re looking at seeing how much more we need to expand our daily service because the wait time for hampers is continuing to creep up on us, so we keep adding more capacity in terms of what we’re getting out the door.”
Currently, Bailey said monetary donations are the most helpful because it allows them to buy directly from producers and wholesalers and get the foods they need most to families as they need it.
Donations can be made at ReginaFoodBank.ca.
“The other thing is as we sort of come out of COVID-19 and restrictions we’re always looking for volunteers. So if you want to go to our website and sign up to volunteer the donation of time is also always appreciated,” Bailey said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.