Rising cost of living causing more food insecurity in London, food bank says

For the first time in two years, the London Food Bank is welcoming food donations in addition to monetary donations for its annual spring food drive. While the pandemic has already exacerbated hunger in the community and across Canada, officials say the situation has only gotten more critical due to the rising cost of living. 

The food bank is serving more hungry people than ever before, said Glen Pearson, the food bank's co-director, adding that 27 per cent of this year's clientele are people who are accessing the food bank for the first time.

"We've never been close to that before, not even half of that and the 73 per cent or so that do come regularly, are coming more often," he said. 

In the first three months of 2022, an average 3,505 families accessed the food bank each month. 

While food banks across the country were already in crisis mode due to the strain put on them by the ongoing pandemic, the need has only gotten more dire with the rising cost of living.

"In the past, it was more seen that people coming to the food banks were on social assistance ... but the reality now is it's not just those people anymore," Pearson said. "It's people that are working, people holding down two jobs, people that are trying to take care of aging parents in their homes and just can't afford the bills.

"It's kind of everybody that you know." 

The alarming new numbers should serve as a call to action and encourage people to speak up about the challenges the community is facing due to the cost of living, Pearson said. 

"The general public will donate, like they always do, but my hope is that they also raise their voices a bit and say 'What can be done about the housing crisis? What can be done about the homeless?' We need people to raise their voices and people in Ottawa, Queens Park and here at City Hall need to hear those voices," he said. 

"The high cost of housing is driving people to food banks, and that's not the way it's supposed to be."

The Spring Food Drive

For the 35th annual Spring Food Drive the food bank will be adopting a hybrid model. That means both food and monetary donations can be made.

Londoners are being asked to donate food at any major grocery stores or donate funds online. 

Food items that can be donated should be non-perishables, including peanut butter, rice, baby food and formula, soup, vegetables, beans juice, tinned meat and fish, pasta and pasta sauce, boxed dinners and other dry goods such as powdered milk, cereal and crackers. 

Since the pandemic began, donations to annual food drives have exceeded previous years, but Pearson said he understands if that's not the case this year. 

"We have never had a doubt about the public and we don't have a doubt about the public now," Pearson said about what he expects support will be like this year. "But it's not based on totals, it's based on [people's] capacity. And I think right now many are having trouble with their capacity, so if we don't get as much as we did last year, we totally understand. 

"But if people do have some extra and they can come along and get it, that's great. That's what makes London, London. It's never been about totals. It's always been about compassion."