No tomatoes, no canned meat: What it's really like inside this small-town food bank

As Nathan Mann stands in line at the food bank in New Glasgow, N.S., he politely declines an interview about why he's there.

A few minutes later, he comes back to say he's changed his mind.

"I shouldn't be the one who feels embarrassed. It should be our politicians and people who are in power and people who are allowing these insane rent prices that are causing people to not be able to afford food," said Mann.

He said he works at an IT company, part time at a pizza restaurant, and also teaches music lessons part time. 

"And I still struggle working three jobs," Mann said.

He doesn't go to the food bank every month, but said every time he does go, the crowd seems bigger than the last time.

According to Pictou County Food Bank East, the data backs up Mann's observation: food orders jumped more than 30 per cent from 5,750 in 2020 to 7,549 in 2023. 

Those orders fed 17,688 people last year in this county of 43,000 people about an hour and a half drive northeast of Halifax.

Between Jan. 1 and Oct. 11 of this year, there were 6,117 orders.

"And there's still two and a half months to go," said Lia LeClair, the food bank's operational co-ordinator. 

With the rising demand and soaring expenses, the food bank announced this month it's cutting back on certain food items, including canned meat, tomatoes, corn and juice, in its food packages.

"We're spending upwards of $24,000 a month just on food," said LeClair. "So now what we give are what we call table essentials — the essential things that people need."

Those guaranteed staples include milk, peanut butter, eggs, meat, oatmeal, cereal, soup and pasta.

Another change at the food bank is a strict once-a-month policy. 

"If you had been in the first of the month and it was coming towards the end of the month but you were really stuck, and especially if you had children, we would do a second order that month," said LeClair.

"But we can't solve everybody's problems so it just has to be strictly once a month."

Every client is tracked through a computer program. LeClair said a typical food order is expected to last a family two to four days. When extra items such as baby formula or toilet paper are donated, they will be added in.

Canned meat, tomatoes, corn and juice will now fall into the "extra" category.

Modupe Adecokunbo and her family moved to New Glasgow six months ago. She said with two school-aged children, she's been struggling to stay on budget with groceries.

"It's quite expensive. I have to be sincere about that. We do groceries twice in a month and each time we go for groceries we spend $300 to $350 max," said Adecokunbo.

She said the food bank has been getting her family through the tough transition, as she continues to search for a job and her husband travels back and forth to Cape Breton for school.

"I appreciate it. If there are items that I can't get, it's OK. I will still take my money and get them at the store," said Adecokunbo.

Jamie Gerrior, who lives nearby in a tent, isn't as understanding about the policy changes. She said she stretches the food she receives for up to two weeks.

"The food bank does help but they do not give enough to go month to month," she said.

She describes the cost of food as "ridiculous."

"You need a good-paying job like a doctor or lawyer or work on a boat to be able to afford food or afford housing," said Gerrior.

LeClair said clients have pulled into the food bank parking lot in nice cars, not able to pay their bills. She said it's also clear not as many people are in a position to give to charities such as the food bank.

"Donations aren't coming in like they used to because everybody [is] feeling the same things as we are, you know, so they don't have a lot of extra money either," said LeClair.