Demand has increased by 50% compared to a normal year, i.e. before the COVID-19 pandemic, he continues. According to Munger, this rise in hunger and food insecurity is linked to the consumer price index (CPI), which rose 8.1% year-on-year in June.
Grocery banks have been meeting the needs of a growing number of low-income workers for months, Munger said. These are people who have a regular income from work and still cannot make ends meet.
And there are also those with work insurance: we used to be able to do this with this check, but the people on site can no longer do it, tell us.
Finally, students also use it, as in Rimouski or La Pocatière, explains Mr. Munger.
“People are coming to Tafel more and more often to supplement their purchases. Households are in dire need right now. »
— A quote from Martin Munger, Executive Director of the Food Banks of Quebec
But now the food banks themselves are struggling: Rising inflation is driving up their operating costs. You can buy less groceries for the same dollar, and the cost of gas for the trucks that haul that groceries is also going up, says Martin Munger.
The labor shortage that is rampant in all sectors is not helping either. In order to remain competitive, Tafeln have improved the working conditions of their employees.
But unlike companies, which can raise prices to make up for their losses, food banks can’t come up with anything. We donate the food, argues Martin Munger. It’s a loss we fully accept.
Companies, producers, processors and supermarkets also have to cope with the rising cost of living. Food donations to food banks are affected. They manage their supplies better, have fewer losses, and therefore donate less to charities, says Munger.
Monetary donations are more welcome than ever in this difficult context, he said.
They take everything we give them
Maggie Borowiec, director of philanthropic development at Moisson Montréal, also calls on the population for solidarity.
Because times are tough for this nonprofit that provides food to more than 300 nonprofits. Here, too, the demand is increasing: [Les organismes] Take everything we give them, there’s nothing left, she says.
The main task of these neighborhood organizations is not necessarily to meet the food needs, Ms. Borowiec explains. They deal with education, employment or the integration of immigrants. Her clientele is diverse: seniors, homeless people, young families, etc.
In the first quarter of 2021 (April-May-June), Moisson Montreal distributed just over 3.4 million kilograms of food. During the same period this year, the organization distributed about the same amount of food. But it is not sufficient as the demand is strong. We have not managed to increase our donations to organizations, Ms. Borowiec regrets.
To meet the demand, Moisson Montréal draws on its considerable reserves: its warehouses have 484 pallets full of products. But this pantry is not inexhaustible.
The Moisson Montreal warehouse has impressive inventories. But these days, the organization sees them falling due to the weeping distress felt by a growing number of Montreal households in a situation of food insecurity.
Photo: Radio Canada / Philippe-Antoine Saulnier
Moisson Montreal is asking major food suppliers to donate what they can. Summer is a great time to give, says Maggie Borowiec, and it’s not just around the holidays! Our drivers are ready to pick up the food.
The call is also aimed at grocers. Your contribution accounts for just 17% of food donations to Moisson Montréal. But supermarkets are donating meat, valuable protein, to food-insecure households. Supermarkets are being urged to freeze excess meat, Borowiec says. The amounts may not be huge, but they are significant.
Hunger, very present in the country
According to Hunger Count 2021, a study conducted by Food Banks Canada and published last June, food bank users are:
- children in a proportion of 33%;
- adults living alone with a share of 46%;
- 50% of recipients of social assistance or disability assistance measures.
Additionally, 23% of Canadians say they eat less than they should and 61% believe the cost of housing is the top reason for food insecurity in the country.
This summer will be the toughest ever for food banks in Canada, predicts Kirstin Beardsley, CEO of Food Banks Canada.
As of March 2021, Canadian food banks received over 1.3 million visits, up 20% from March 2019.
With information from Camille Ferensen