Small town food banks struggle to keep up with demand

Food banks continue to struggle as supplies fade Food banks throughout Simcoe Muskoka struggle to keep up with surging demand for services.

At the Innisfil Food Bank, the shelves are far from full at a time when demand is up.

"We are trying to help our people right now, but we are seeing a lot more newcomers," said Donna Sawyer, coordinator of Innisfil Food Bank.

Sawyer said the number has nearly doubled this year. The food bank currently supports almost 200 people a month, and she's worried that the number will continue to rise.

"The costs are rising so drastically that we are seeing more and more people that are more dual income families and more single parents. We see everyone from a single to a senior and everything in between," said Sawyer.

While demand increases, donations have dwindled, a common thread among food banks and food programs during the summer.

"Everybody thinks of the summer as a holiday and a time to relax. They think people won't be going to a food bank, but they get hungry in the summer too, and they will stand out in crazy, crazy heat to try and get food for their family," said Beth Houston, coordinator at Gravenhurst Against Poverty.

An added pressure on an already strained system, the issues have become magnified for smaller communities as organizations like Gravenhurst Against Poverty fight to keep the doors open while working to avoid stigma.

"There is a stigma attached with having to admit that you go into a food bank or needing food at a food bank, and people who have lived through poverty they just don't get it," said Houston.

Houston said that stigma is preventing people from accessing the support they need.

A February report by Second Harvest found that food bank usage across the country is up with an expected 18 per cent increase in demand and more than 1 million people accessing food charity.

Numbers that small-town food banks say are impossible to keep up with.

"We have a lot of personal donations, the legion is one of them, but it is a struggle because the bigger cities have more options," said Heather Morgan, Angus Food Bank president.

While supply is low at many local food banks, organizations say that demand will grow, and the need will be even more significant over the next few weeks as students prepare to return to the classroom.

Those interested in supporting the food bank and donating can do so by contacting the food bank directly.