More people are relying on Gleaners Food Bank.
A recent report from Food Banks Canada reported record-breaking usage at food banks across the country and nearly double the monthly visits compared to five years ago.
Gleaners’ Community Engagement Specialist Jodie Jenkins says the local food bank has supported almost 11,000 people year-to-date.
“We’ve seen a 17% increase in usage amongst individuals and families. And we also have a café called Michelangelo’s where we provide snacks and sandwiches to individuals that just come there, whether they’re experiencing homelessness or, you know, down on their luck. We’ve seen an actual 21% increase in usage in the café.”
He says he doesn’t see those numbers going down anytime soon as we head into the holiday season, generally an extremely busy time for food banks.
Jenkins is thanking the community for its support.
He says despite the trying times, many businesses and organizations are organizing their own food drives to help the food bank.
Trenton Share and Care Food Bank Manager Jen Koornneef says in September they served 569 households, the highest number of monthly visits in their almost 40-year history.
