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
BREAKING NEWS Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'