Some Ontario food banks are making cuts, Timmins is not

Ontario food banks cutting services CEO of the Daily Bread Food Bank Neil Hetherington discusses how food banks are being forced to cut services amid overwhelming demand.

A new report from Feed Ontario indicates food banks in the province have reduced the amount of food they provide, but the situation is not as bleak in Timmins.

Timmins Food Bank said a typical client receives three grocery bags once a month, including a variety of items such as non-perishable foods, bread and baked goods, meat and produce.

Rick Young, the northern Ontario food bank's president, said he is grateful people in Timmins and throughout the region are generous.

"The Bank of Nova Scotia, a month ago, they had a food drive for us for their 100-year anniversary and they called me up again … they had another drive and they gave us three big boxes of toques and scarves and what not for the people, plus they gave us another cash donation," Young said.

"The Mountjoy Fire Department, they went out on their own on Saturday and had sort of a little bit of a parade with Santa Claus and they brought a 34-foot trailer here full of food. It’s just unbelievable, you know, the way people help us."

But the situation is more dire in other parts of Ontario.

Feed Ontario’s 2024 Hunger Report revealed this week that use is greater than what the food bank network in the province can provide and it has had to cut back what they give by 40 per cent.

Caryolyn Steward, CEO of Feed Ontario, said this reduction comes at a time when more than one million Ontarians depend on food banks, a 25 per cent increase over 2023.

"This year's report really revealed what we predicted last year," said Stewart.

"We've warned of the negative consequences of not doing anything and that demand was beginning to outpace resources and that's what we're seeing, the unraveling of the food banks across the province."

The Timmins Food Bank said it has not had to scale back on food yet.

In fact, it has added a take-out lunch event on Saturdays in addition to its weekly provisions.

But Young has noticed contributions of ready-to-eat stews, pastas and canned vegetables has declined.

On average, the Timmins Food Bank serves around 200 clients every week.

Young said his biggest concern at this point in time is the high number of people who are homeless who are coming in for food.

"We used to get 15 or 20 homeless, now it's up to 40 and between 50 and 55," said Young.

"And winter (is) coming now and I don't know what these people are going to do."

Based on its findings this year, Stewart said Feed Ontario has come up with some recommendations.

"So improvements to social assistance, social assistance for 50 per cent of those that we service. So people on Ontario Works and those living with a disability; improving those programs can make a drastic difference," Stewart said.

"Tying the rates to inflation, making sure that they're not keeping people 50 per cent below the poverty line and allowing them to keep earned income, you know, and not clawing it back so drastically so that people have the funds they need to transition back to work. Focusing on those affordable housing pieces, we have to make sure that we're building more social and supportive housing."

She asks people to use their voices to speak up about food insecurity issues in their community, especially with elections coming up.

And, in the meantime, she asks those who have the ability, to consider donating to food banks in their communities.