.jpg)
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a mass amount of stress for Canadians causing job loss, financial instability, and many unknowns.
Food Banks of Canada issued their 2021 Hunger Count report that showed COVID-19 caused a 20 per cent increase from the same count from 2019. In 2021 approximately over 1.3 million visits were made to food banks across Canada.
Al Huckabay is the Manager of the Dryden Food Bank and he said he has seen a significant increase in users.
“Our actual numbers are more than what the Canadian average is. We’re sitting at a 35 per cent increase at the same time this year compared to last year. Our numbers are up and are reflective of what’s happening across the country,” said Huckabay.
Early on in the pandemic, the federal government assisted Canadian’s with financial relief in the way of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). CERB paid those that applied for it $2000 a month to assist with monthly expenses.
The report stated that CERB “flattened the curve” of foodbank use. Now CERB has come to an end the amount of food banks users has risen.
Of that 20 per cent increase in those using food banks over a third of that is children. Huckabay said that the same stat is prevalent in Dryden.
“Presently around 130 children are registered with families, the children are probably the higher numbers that we have. Then you get into the mid-’20s, ’30s, and 40’s age cause of parents,” explained Huckabay.
Huckabay noted he has seen a staggering number of seniors using the DFB as well.
“Our seniors are coming to a point where they are retiring but they’re finding that those pensions that they have or CPP just isn’t enough to stay above the poverty aspect. They are coming in once a week or twice a month to help supplement themselves.
The report showed Ontario having the second-highest food bank visits with 419,532, 130,970 of those visits were children, which is a 23.5 per cent increase from 2019. Number one was Quebec with 474,002, a 38.1 per cent increase from 2019.
Even though more and more people in the Dryden and the surrounding area have turned to the food bank, he said the community has stepped up to support their own.
“There has been an increase in financial donations from corporations, businesses, private individuals, and churches. It's been really humbling to see how the city and the region have come along and help us to make sure we have the funds to be able to purchase food for our shelves,” concluded Huckabay.
Huckabay hopes the continuous issues present in the region such as increased employment, additional housing, and more income support can be fixed to prevent these staggering statistics to continue to increase.