South Shore Food Bank sees a change in luck this Christmas season

Earlier this year, the barren shelves at South Shore Food Bank had its operators struggling to keep up with demand, as the number of people using its service only grew and donations were scarce.

But since the CBC reported on the food bank's difficult situation, things have begun to turn around, said Marianna Burda, co-founder of the food bank.

"We were all in tears for days — the donations just kept on coming in."

Growing Demand

Demand for the food bank's services has grown over the last few years.

Burda says the need of the food bank has increased to about 35 families per month — that's approximately a 25 per cent increase over the last year.

Burda can't be sure whether the increase in the food bank's demand within the community is due to need or if simply, more people are aware of the food bank.

'Raising a generation of givers'

One thing she can be sure about is that an early winter paired with housing shortages has made for a particularly difficult year, for families and individuals in need within the community, she said.

The food bank is in the midst of preparing about 30 hampers for the holiday season.

The food bank receives a few regular food donations from community members, but are always hoping for more.

For Burda, initiatives like CBC P.E.I.'s Feed a Family campaign are crucial as it makes it possible to help raise "a generation of givers."

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