With the hike in food prices due to inflation sees more families struggling to put food on the table, the Food Bank of York Region is facing an increased demand for food at the same time as donations are declining.
The Food Bank of York Region is appealing to food retailers, businesses and the public to donate food to the Food Bank of York Region and community food banks to help meet the need for households facing food insecurity.
“We are seeing a continuous rise in demand for food assistance in the region, in particular for low-income households,” Alex Bilotta, Food Bank of York Region founder and CEO, said in a news release. “However, food donations have dropped significantly in recent times, and we are not generating the amounts of food needed to keep up with the demand for food assistance.”
“Our network of food service providers reported an increase of 25 per cent of food bank users in 2022, and the number continues to grow in 2023,” Bilotta added.
According to Food Banks Canada’s 2022 Hunger Report, food bank usage in Canada increased by 15 per cent in 2022, the highest increase since the 2008 recession. Feed Ontario reported an even steeper increase in Ontario, where the number of people accessing food banks increased by over 24 per cent in 2022.
According to “Wasted Opportunity,” a 2022 report by Second Harvest, 96 per cent of surplus edible food produced by Canada’s food industry each year is not rescued and redistributed. This avoidable food waste also places a burden on the environment. Food rescue has an important role to play in reaching Canada’s commitment to halve global food waste by 2030.
The Food Bank of York Region serves as the region’s food distribution hub for a network of 80 food pantries, including the Newmarket Food Pantry.
For information on how to launch a food drive or to make a donation, click here.
