With Thanksgiving weekend on the horizon, food banks will be very busy.
Carolyn Saunders, Food Bank Coordinator at the Listowel Salvation Army location, says with current grocery prices, they are seeing usage of the food bank, and many other regional food banks, increase. But the higher cost of food is also affecting food banks in another way.
"So we're definitely seeing a reduction in the amount of food that gets donated to the food bank. So during this time, we're definitely getting lower, just ahead of Christmas so we haven't hit that 'Big Give' month yet, so our shelves are definitely lower than they are at other times of the year. So it's definitely something that a lot of families are struggling with at this time," Saunders shared.
Saunders adds typically they see upwards of 400 visits to the food bank in Listowel in a month, with September clocking in at 311.
"The month before was around 400 people, and every month we're seeing anywhere from 10-15 new households joining. They may not come back again, it might just be a one-time thing, or they may come back monthly. In the month of September we had 138 children, so households that have children," stated Saunders.
If anyone wants to assist their local food bank, Saunders suggests reaching out directly or look them up online. She says many food banks have a Facebook page or some kind of online presence.
"I would definitely reach out to that food bank and see what's their top 10 wish list items. So every month I publish a top 10 wish list, and it's based on the items that we are the lowest in stock of and the items that are the most requested. So we publish that on our Facebook page which you can visit, it's called Salvation Army CFS, or Community Family Services Listowel," Saunders concluded.
You can visit that page here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095056119892
