Crapaud food bank struggling to keep up with demand

The South Shore Food Bank says the shelves are running bare and it's struggling to keep up with demand, as the number of people using its service grows while donations dwindle.

The South Shore Food Bank says more food going out than donations coming in

Nicole Williams · CBC News · Posted: Sep 26, 2018 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: September 26, 2018

Jenny Myers showcases the bare shelves at the South Shore Food Bank. The bank services communities between Borden-Carleton and Cornwall, but Myers says they aren't receiving enough donations. (Nicole Williams/CBC)

The shelves are running bare at the South Shore Food Bank and operators say it's struggling to keep up with demand, as the number of people using its service grows while donations dwindle.

The food bank, located in Crapaud, P.E.I., was started almost three years ago to help families in the area. It now helps people from Borden-Carleton to Cornwall.

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"There's a food bank in Summerside and Charlottetown, but if you can't afford food, how can you afford to have a car on the road to go and access these food banks? It's not possible," said Marianna Burda, one of the operators of the food bank.

"So we went from one family to another family, and it just grew from there."

'Demand far outweighs our supply'

For the last number of years, Burda said about 20 families would use the bank regularly. However, in the last year, that number has grown to about 30 families.

"It's really hard to keep up ... the demand far outweighs our supply."

The South Shore Food Bank says the number of families that use its services has grown but that financial and food donations have decreased. (Nicole Williams/CBC)

According to fellow operators Jackie and Jenny Myers, there's no regular influx of groceries because there's no major grocery store nearby. As for financial contributions, their goal is to have $4,000 in the organization's bank account to buy supplies, but as of right now, that budget has been reduced by half.

"I think we're under $2,000 now which makes me a little sick to my stomach, going into the winter when people aren't working, and are relying more on us," Jackie said.

Personally donated $1K

The food bank receives a few regular food donations from community members, but are hoping for more. It also posted a plea on Facebook for donations from businesses and corporations who could give on a regular basis.

Jenny Myers, left, and Marianna Burda, right, work to stock the shelves of the South Shore Food Bank. They're hoping to receive more regular donations to sustain the food bank throughout the winter. (Nicole Williams/CBC)

"It's hard to continuously ask people to continuously give, give, give. The community is so generous already. But we can make a little bit of money go really, really far," Jackie said.

The Myers, who own The Lobster Barn in Victoria, have donated $1,000 from their own business to keep the food bank afloat.

"We're just trying to hang on," said Jenny.