The Barrie Food Bank (BFB) has achieved both of its targets during its Thanksgiving campaign, which officially winds down on Friday.
In an email to Barrie 360, BFB Executive Director Karen Shuh said they are at 105 per cent of their goal with 157,641 pounds of food donated, and financial donations are at $327,000, or 131 per cent of their target.
Grateful for all donations, Shuh noted a $100,000 anonymous donation from 2B Living Trust and nearly $67,000 from Barrie First Christian Reformed Church.
A new Food Banks Canada report finds growing reliance on its network of 5,500 food banks and community organizations.
The organization's 2025 HungerCount report says monthly visits neared 2.2 million in March 2025, five per cent higher than March 2024 and nearly double since March 2019, before the pandemic.
What's happening across the country is being played out in Barrie.
There were 7,126 visits in March of this year, a slight dip from March 2024, which Shuh attributes to several factors, including a decision by the Innisfil Food Bank that started exclusively serving Innisfil residents, and mitigation with Georgian College regarding international students. In March 2019, the BFB had 2,723 visits.
September 2025 Snapshot ( source - Barrie Food Bank)
"The most sobering stat is that only 1 in 5 people who are food insecure find their way to the food bank, which means 4 out of 5 people do not use a food bank due to issues such as availability, operating hours, transportation, health, or cultural dietary needs," Shuh noted in her email.
Unfortunately, another factor at play, according to Shuh, is stigma, shame, and embarrassment associated with receiving charity.
While annual inflation accelerated to 2.4 per cent last month, food inflation outpaced it at four per cent, according to Statistics Canada.
In data released last week, StatCan noted the cost of fresh vegetables rose nearly two per cent, while the cost of sugar and confectionary items jumped nine per cent.
with files from The Canadian Press
