Amid skyrocketing demand for their services, Central Food Network executive director Tina Jackson and board chair, Nancy WrightLaking, had some sobering statistics to share with Highlands East council Nov. 12.
Jackson said they had more than 60 volunteers and two permanent staff, delivering a suite of services in Highlands East, and across the County.
They have food banks in Wilberforce and Cardiff, for emergency and regular food assistance. They offer food delivery of hampers, including a holiday food hamper and toy program. The Wilberforce office is a distribution point for Rotary Club of Haliburton’s ‘good food boxes’, and houses Community Cooks volunteers, who turn surplus food into frozen, prepared meals.
She added volunteer manager Ken Mott “manages to acquire” in excess of 100,000 pounds of surplus food annually, distributed through their food banks, Community Cooks, and shared with neighbouring food banks and not-for-profits.
They run a heat bank, with heat and hydro grants and emergency firewood – and also help people to find other resources. They even help with tax filing. They are on several community committees, too. Jackson added they are proud to supply $3 worth of assistance for every $1 they receive.
At that point, she told council that was the end of CFN’s good news.
Referring to The Food Banks Canada hunger report, Jackson said, “poverty in Canada is spiraling out of control. In the last five years, visits to Canadian food banks have almost doubled. March of this year alone, saw well over two million visits to food banks in Canada.”
Jackson said locally, “we are continuing to see increases in the number of people needing our services and visits to our food banks are also increasing at an alarming pace.”
She said they are now serving 57 more people on average every month compared with pre-pandemic statistics, not including their busiest months. They are supporting an average of 307 monthly visits to their food banks, 100 more visits monthly than pre-pandemic.
“Not only are more people needing access to a food bank but people walking through our door need help more frequently.”
She said they had already served 535 people so far this year, more than they had ever served before and they have not even hit their busiest months. Over a quarter of clients are seniors, and well over one-third children and youth.
“We are serving seniors, children, babies, single people, families and couples, people who are working, people who are unable to work. They are our neighbours, friends, maybe even our family.” Jackson estimated one in seven people are using their services.
She said working people and singles on disability supports are asking for help.
“When provincial and federal public policy doesn’t adequately support people, we see it here first. And responsibility to take care of people’s basic needs feels more and more like it is being downloaded to local charities like ours.”
Central Food Network turns 10 in 2025 and Jackson said, “we are concerned that if the continual trends continue, this is not sustainable.”
They are currently going through accreditation and continuing communications efforts. They receive no regular government funding. Jackson said they plan to increase fund development, human resource capacity, and increase physical space to be able to keep up with service demands.
Wright-Laking said they’d moved from a time when people needed periodic assistance in their life, to one in which many rely solely on the food bank or heat bank and is no longer sustainable. “We are in a real social crisis.”
She thanked Highlands East for monetary, and building, support. However, she said there are increasing needs. “We are outgrowing our spaces and hope you will have some for us.”
She conceded they’d brought a “dire” message about the direction food and heat insecurity is headed. Food Banks Canada is calling for the creation of a grocery and essential needs benefit, similar to the GST credit. She encouraged council to support the call to action.
Coun. Angela Lewis thanked staff and volunteers and asked what they get from government. Jackson said they get a $2,500 grant to assist with tax clinics.
Deputy mayor Cec Ryall and Mayor Dave Burton said council would look at their 2025 budget, with Burton adding, “we’ll see what happens at budget time.”
