Price of everything is going up: Food Bank donations are not rising - but the need is

By Pepper Parr

May 10th, 2022

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The squeeze is on – everywhere.

Gas prices are sucking up more of the budget than usual and it doesn’t sound as if they is going to change for a while.

Food prices are higher – you see that every week when the cashier ask if that is debit, credit or cash?

Households that usually picked up an extra jar of peanut butter or cans of salmon, peas or corn don’t do that as frequently

This crew just showed up one day with a vehicle full of food asking – where do we put it?

The drop offs at the Food Bank are not as frequent.

What hasn’t changed is the need from those less fortunate or those whose employers are still coping with Covid19 restrictions.

Things were approaching the normal we all wanted – then food and gas prices reached new highs.

The war in Ukraine has something to do with it – most people don’t understand just what the link is.

The Ukrainian community is out fund raising as well – and if anyone needs some help – the Ukrainians certainly do.  That war is one we cannot lose

All the food that comes in has to be put through COVID19 procedures – then onto shelves where it gets picked to be put in hampers that go to households. It runs pretty smoothly by volunteers who have everything down pretty pat.

All this cascades on to Robin Bailey, Executive Director of the Burlington Food Bank, who has to find that balance between what comes in as food donations and what he has to buy with his very limited resources.

Bailey thinks there might be an opportunity to involve students in the drive to get food into the shelves at the food bank ready for distribution.
Giving is natural, people just give – Bailey hopes there is an opportunity to involve students who may donate as little as a can of peaches – it has to start somewhere.

Let’s see how that idea pans out. It certainly has merit.

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