"We've stopped using the word crisis," says Karen Shuh, Barrie Food Bank (BFB) executive director, when asked about the demands facing food bank users and the organization itself. "I think we've been ringing that bell for too long. As a community, we should never accept food insecurity as normal."
A report released by Feed Ontario this month said people relying on food banks across the province hit a record high. Between April 2023 and March 2024, the agency says more than a million Ontarians visited a food bank—an increase of 25 per cent from the previous year.
The Simcoe Muskoka District District Health Unit reported that 30.7 per cent of people in the region experienced some level of food insecurity in 2023.
In August, the BFB saw 400 first-time visitors who had never needed its services. On average, the food bank sees about 7,000 individuals every month.
"This number is getting pretty close to 5 per cent of the population of Barrie. This number has doubled from last year alone and has tripled from pre-pandemic levels," said Shuh.
Adding to the alarm is the fact 37 per cent of food bank users in the city are children.
"But children only account for 20 per cent of the general population. We're over-indexed in terms of the number of children we support."
Food bank usage among large families has seen the biggest leap, with over 1,000 families relying on support. Shuh says large families are defined as 5 or more people in the household.
"We've seen their purchasing power erode with inflation, " she says. "We're all feeling the squeeze."
Not to be forgotten, says Shuh, are the working poor coming for help. One in five users of the BFB are employed, most often in minimum wage jobs.
"People are trying to string several jobs together, but then they're still struggling to pay for rent, utilities and medicines."
There is frustration and exhaustion in Shuh's voice as she rhymes off more figures.
"Five per cent of our users are seniors. These are people who have worked their whole lives."
Shuh says demand for services has doubled, but donations have not kept up and there is a widening gap every month.
This means the food bank's purchasing power has also been eroded.
"We have to make tough decisions about what food isn't purchased," Shuh explains. "For example, we've had to start cutting a dozen eggs in half because we can't afford to give a full dozen to singles or couples, and that makes up about 40 per cent of our households."
The food bank has stopped purchasing butter in favour of margarine. Rather than buying cheese, Shuh says they had to downgrade to processed cheese, and now can't afford to buy it at all. Singles and couples receive only one litre of milk. Even the purchasing of canned vegetables has stopped.
"That's okay with the bounty of fresh food we get from our local farmers, but what do we do come winter?"
The food bank recently launched its Thanksgiving campaign, to raise $250,000 and collect 150,000 pounds of food.
Shuh says many people might be surprised to know that the food bank doesn't receive ongoing support from any level of government, and she feels that needs to change.
"I think all levels of government have the responsibility to ensure that everyone can realize their right to food. This is Canada, and this is Barrie. No one should face barriers to accessing food."
Shuh admits more food is not the solution as the root cause of poverty, and she is fearful that if there isn't structural change in the economy to put more money in people's pockets, things will continue to worsen.
Ways to support the Thanksgiving campaign include:
- Making a secure online donation at barriefoodbank.org/donate and receive an instant tax
receipt. - Dropping off a cheque or cash at 42 Anne St. South, Barrie, during operating hours (Monday
to Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.). - Donating non-perishable food items at designated bins in all local grocery stores or directly
to the Barrie Food Bank. - Organizing a food drive on behalf of your company or organization. Contact donations@barriefoodbank.org to make arrangements for food collection bin drop off and
pickup.
