Charities in Kingston warn of increased demand for free lunch programs

As the cost of fruit and vegetables continues to climb, community organizations in Kingston that provide free lunch programs say they are seeing hundreds more people needing their services.

Judy Fyfe is the executive director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society; she says the group is seeing new faces all the time.

“Alarm bells should be ringing,” she says. “Our community needs to know this is crisis mode.”

At its peak, the charity can serve up to 358 people a day, says Fyfe. That’s up from 140 a few years before. She says the society is averaging a 92 per cent increase in numbers.

Other programs are seeing the same increase. Martha’s Table can serve 450 people per day, a 156 per cent increase over pre-pandemic numbers, according to Executive Director Ronda Candy.

Fyfe says soaring inflation is adversely affecting pensioners and families.

“The folks that show up now are people who were making it before, who didn’t need charitable assistance,” she says. “And now, if they don’t come, they don’t eat.”

This year, the organization is on track to give out more than 50,000 hot meals, and has had to close their dining hall and turn to take-out to keep up with demand.

“The loss is significant,” she says. “This used to be a place where people could come, draw comfort from their peers, feel like they belong.”

Food prices are up 10 per cent.

At Martha’s Table, Candy says costs are increasing and donations are down.

“I feel like that’s a result of everyone else feeling the pinch. Our donors are so supportive and everyone donates what they can,” she explains. “It’s a combination of costs going up and donations going down, and we’re in the middle trying to do more meals than ever. So it’s a real challenge.”

Candy explains that what they’re seeing every day exceeds even what they would see during peak holiday numbers in previous years.

“Previously, our largest meal was Thanksgiving and the Christmas holiday and we cooked for 350 people. We planned ahead, we worked and we cooked turkeys and so on. Now we cook for 450 people every single day. So, it’s busy. You have to put it into context. Every single day is Christmas dinner.”

Fyfe says supportive programs, like St. Vincent de Paul, will always come through, but she continues to be concerned.

“We’re nervous,” she says. “This is not just a little blip. This is year after year increased numbers and nothing on the horizon suggests it’s going to lower.”