OTTAWA – The federal government is spending an additional $ 30 million to help people at risk of going hungry.
Complementing the Emergency Food Security Fund will provide more money to the charitable sector to help Canadians access the food services they need.
Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said the move was a response to increased demand for food banks and programs from Canadians across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government has provided hundreds of millions of dollars to the fund since the start of the pandemic.
The remaining federal funds will be distributed among several food banks and programs, including Food Banks Canada, Second Harvest, Breakfast Club of Canada and the Salvation Army.
Fund recipients will use some of the money to purchase surplus PEI potatoes and distribute them to local food organizations in need, a product that Bibeau said was “of good value”. excellent quality ”.
Prince Edward Island fresh potatoes currently face an export ban for nearly a month to the United States after a fungus, called wart scab, is found growing in two potato farms.
Kirstin Beardsley, director of network services for Food Banks Canada, said the extra money “could not have come at a better time” because of the increased demand for assistance in recent months.
Beardsley said within weeks demand doubled from the same time last year, but the average was 67% higher, a trend she called “worrying to say the least.”
Breakfast Club executive director Tommy Kulczyk says he has seen a “dramatic increase” in demand for breakfast programs over the past year, with more than 600 schools on a waiting list for its assistance.
Lori Nikkel, CEO of Second Harvest, said her latest research shows that more than six million Canadians have visited one of more than 60,000 charities, schools, nonprofits and food centers to obtain food. food since the start of the pandemic.
Nikkel said groceries are increasingly out of the reach of families due to rising food prices fueled by inflation, which has led many Canadians to seek help for the first time.
Lower wages, along with rising utility costs, mean the Salvation Army is seeing more first-time users, not only in urban settings, but also in rural and smaller communities, a declared the lieutenant colonel. John Murray, spokesperson for the organization.
Meredith Hayes, Senior Director of Community Food Services Canada, expressed her appreciation for the additional support as solutions are sought for the systemic causes that cause people to go hungry.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on December 22, 2021.
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of Facebook and the Canadian Press News Fellowship.
Correction:
An earlier version referred to Lorri Nikkel. In fact, the person concerned is called Lori Nikkel.
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