The “One Can. We Can!” Thanksgiving food drive campaign in Barrie is nearing completion and so far, donations are down, while demand continues grow. “This year we are currently sitting at about 50 per cent of our way to our financial target but only 30 per cent of our way to our food target,” says James Ward with the Barrie Food Bank. It’s a rare quiet day at the Barrie Food Bank as deliveries arrive and the shelves are re-stocked for what will be a busy week. The numbers are up about 2 per cent from last year, with more than 7,600 visits in August alone. More children, seniors and first-time users are turning to the food bank for support. Ward says food insecurity is at an all-time high affecting more people than ever. Those on the frontlines see it every week. “I think we are seeing a lot of people that support us are now needing our services. It’s gotten to that point,” Ward says. “This facility, I would estimate, would hold about 500,000 pounds of food. If we were to stop ordering today, within a couple of weeks, this entire building would be empty.” There’s a very similar kind of demand over in Innisfil. “I do eight boxes every Tuesday morning and they are about 50 pounds of food,” says one of the volunteers. About 180 families use the Innisfil Food Bank every month. It is expecting those numbers to skyrocket now that it has extra space for perishable goods, dairy and meats. “Cost of living is just going up and up and up, and our people are just struggling,” says Donna Sawyer with the Innisfil Food Bank. “We have two income families coming to see our food bank because it is hard to make ends meet right now.” The food bank in Alliston is expanding its operations with a bigger facility to also deal with growing demand. The new building is expected to be open by the end of the year. Barrie’s campaign wraps up on Monday. Anyone planning on making a donation to any food bank, cash is best as they often buy in bulk.
