Brockville & Area Food Bank
The mission of the Brockville and Area Food Bank is: To provide emergency food support to individuals and families in Brockville and the surrounding area in a caring and accessible environment. We’ve been fulfilling this commitment to our community since 1984.
This year, the need is greater than it has ever been. Inflation and the resulting rise in the cost of living have put increased pressure on the families and individuals we serve. In 2020 we supported approximately 12,830 individuals. The cost of each visit was $13.56. Our food budget for that year was $175,000. This year, to the end of October, we have supplied food to 15,749 individuals. The cost to provide food to these people has increased to $19.58 per person. Our food budget is now 350,000.
The increased need for our help stems from the rising cost of food and shelter since inflation has increased dramatically since 2020. We serve more people more often. Many can no longer survive on a single food bank visit each month and need to return for additional help. We are seeing larger numbers of working families and senior citizens than ever before. Across Canada this year 33% of food bank visitors are children, 43% are single adult households and 42% rely on social assistance for income. One in six food bank visitors is employed and one in 10 receive pension income. Food insecurity doesn’t only affect those living in poverty. It affects people from all walks of life.
On the other side of the food security issue is the fact that one of our primary sources of food donations, grocery store reclamation, has been steadily decreasing. As grocery stores and food producers work to decrease food waste, (damaged boxes, imperfect produce, sightly dented cans, discontinued items) we see less food being diverted to food banks. This directly impacts the amount of food we need to purchase to continue to maintain the levels of food support we give to our families.
Fortunately, we live in a very generous community. Support from individuals, churches, foundations, and organizations like 100 Women Who Care 1000 Islands allow us to continue to meet the rising demand for our service. If we are selected, 100 % of the funds we receive from 100 Women Who Care will go directly to support our Christmas gift card purchases. Each year in December, we purchase a $10 gift card for each food bank visitor. The gift card can be used to help cover the extra costs most families face at Christmas time. The cards can only be used for food purchases. The cost for this program will be approximately $15,000.
For more information on our work please visit us at: www.brockvilleandareafoodbank.ca or find us on Facebook. Thank you for your support.