The London Food Bank is once again turning to the community for help stocking its shelves as it deals with a record number of people relying on its service.
During the launch of its 34th annual Thanksgiving Food Drive Thursday, the food bank revealed the number of families coming through its doors has jumped 32 per cent over the last year.
“Our numbers have just been climbing and climbing,” said Jane Roy, co-executive director of the London Food Bank. “The number of people who are coming to the food bank for help has never in our history been this high. We’ve been around for 36 years and three of the past four months have been record months.”
In August alone, 4,121 families went to the food bank. That is up from 2,979 families in August 2021.
According to Roy, 28 per cent of the families served by the food bank this year were there for the first time, up from 18 per cent compared to the same time last year.
“It is due to inflation. It is due to the rise in rent, fuel, and food costs,” said Roy.
She said there is no way to know for sure whether demand will continue to rise in the coming months. But as people already struggling to put food on the table will be faced with the additional cost of heating their homes throughout the winter, it is likely to continue to go up. That makes the Thanksgiving food drive even more important.
“We are aware that people who donate don’t have quite as much disposable income as well. We get it. So this drive is all about ‘give what you can’. If you can’t give, we understand, but if you can step up and help your neighbours and the people in our city that need it,” said Roy.
Items needed include any type of non-perishable item, canned fruit and vegetables, peanut butter, canned or dry beans, canned salmon or tuna, low sugar cereals, oatmeal, pasta, and rice. Children’s lunch snacks, powdered milk, baby formula, baby food and pablum and non-food items such as toiletries are also needed.
Those items can be donated at participating grocery stores or at any London fire hall. This is the first time since the pandemic began that fire halls have collected food donations on behalf of the food bank. Anyone wanting to give fresh produce can drop it off directly at the food bank’s warehouse at 926 Leathorne St. Financial donations can also be made through the food bank’s website www.londonfoodbank.ca.
Last year’s Thanksgiving campaign brought in 74,214 pounds of food.
The food drive runs until October 10.
