Ottawa Food Bank facing donation shortage
Rising inflation is getting the blame for a drop in donations to the Ottawa Food Bank.
Ottawa Food Bank CEO Rachel Wilson told Newstalk 580 CFRA's CFRA Live with Andrew Pinsent on Saturday that inflation is having an impact not only on residents, but on the food bank as well.
"We have seen food donations go down by about 20 per cent in the last couple of weeks," she said. "We assume that's because it's just so expensive for everyone to be able to purchase the food that they need so, when they're in the grocery store, they're probably not picking up items for the Ottawa Food Bank."
Wilson said the food bank is seeing around 44,000 people every month, a roughly 17 per cent increase over pre-pandemic levels.
"We've been calling it a perfect storm, when you've got people who are without work and you add in the cost of everything go up so much, we're having the housing crisis that we've had, it's really making it harder for people to make the ends meet," she said. "It's so much easier to go without food than it is to go without rent or heat, so food is often the first thing to go."
Inflation has also affected the food bank's ability to operate, Wilson said.
"Everything is just that much more expensive. When you look between the gas we have to put in our trucks and the cost of food," she said, "and we know if it's harder for us, it's harder for people out in the city as well."
The pandemic has also had a lasting impact on people in need of the food bank, though Wilson notes in the early days, there some stability.
"When CERB came in place, our numbers really stabilized. We know that income is the real issue of food insecurity across the country. We're really hoping governments will look at increasing social assistance rates to keep pace with the cost of living," Wilson said. "Also, making sure housing is accessible. Those are the key issues."
A food drive was held at local grocery stores on Saturday to help bridge some of the gap, but donations can be made all year.
Financial donations can be made on the Ottawa Food Bank's website. Wilson says every dollar donated can be used to buy five dollars worth of fresh food, thanks to the Ottawa Food Bank's bulk purchasing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.