P.E.I. food banks busier than ever, with no signs of slowing down

Food banks on Prince Edward Island say they are feeding more people than ever and don't anticipate the need slowing down any time soon. 

"It's Island-wide. It's Canada-wide, really. We have a lot of people that are turning to us," said Norma Dingwell, the manager of Southern Kings and Queens Food Bank in Montague. 

"I'm just glad that we're here to help them."

In Montague, demand is up at least 40 per cent compared to this time last year, Dingwell estimates. 

This week she was busy getting ready for donation pick-ups, and had personally bagged 350 pounds of potatoes into smaller packages. Although that sounds like a lot, she said she was sure it would go quickly. 

"If it's numbers like last Thursday, it will just last Thursday," she said.

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Aside from Christmas, last week was the most people they've ever had. A total of 76 families came looking for support. Dingwell estimates that would mean close to 224 people. 

"We've had at least two to three new clients every week, sometimes six a week," she said.

'It's just going to escalate'

The Upper Room in Charlottetown has told CBC News that it saw 191 new families last month. Just a couple years ago that number was closer to 35. 

It's a similar story in Crapaud, where the South Shore Food Bank is the busiest it's ever been. 

"We're seeing a giant increase in demand. We're up about 30 per cent over the past year," said co-founder Marianna Burda. 

"The kindness of Islanders is how we're keeping up with it. Church groups, community organizations, individuals — people were just cleaning their gardens and giving all their produce to us."

It kind of made me feel sick and I cried a little.— Marianna Burda

But the need is continuing to increase and that is becoming more and more challenging to keep up with. Burda said they recently had to turn away 12 people and send them to other food banks. 

"It kind of made me feel sick and I cried a little," she said. "It is getting worse — slowly and steadily getting worse. And now with winter coming and the cost of heating your home, it's just going to escalate."

Researcher urges action

Jennifer Taylor, a health researcher at UPEI, said food banks shouldn't be expected to fill the gap.

"For years and years and years we've had food banks institutionalized in this country," she said.

"So while they are important for people who are desperate, governments should never think that that is going to somehow mitigate the problem to the point that they don't need to make major policy changes."

Taylor urged people to write to their MLA or MP directly to call for government to take action on food insecurity rather than signing a petition.

'Prices have to come down'

Burda said the Crapaud operation serves about 60 families on a regular basis. They also have lots of people who come intermittently. Some have just moved to the area. Others could be waiting on employment insurance to kick in after a job ends. Regardless, she said the price of food is not helping.

"They can't heat their homes, they can't buy the gas, they can't keep their car on the road. There are so many things for them to pay for. Food is falling by the wayside and the increase in groceries is just ridiculous," said Burda.

"The prices have to come down. People can't do it."

Dingwell agrees, adding that when money gets tight, a family's food budget often takes the first hit. Right now, she said some of the people she serves are still recovering from post-tropical storm Fiona.

"They weren't covered by their insurance. So the money that they would have for food is going towards trying to fix up their homes."

As for donations, Dingwell said it has slowed down a bit. But many people in the community have stepped up to help. 

"We're very lucky to live in the community that we live in," she said. "We have very generous donors and because of them and their caring ways, we're [able] to provide food for other people."