More users, higher costs: Montreal-area food bank says donations critical as families battle inflation
Inflation and soaring food costs have many Quebec families feeling the pinch, and the head of one food bank says demand has increased by nearly 40 per cent in 2022.
According to Suzanne Scarrow, executive director of the West Island Mission (WIM), there's a struggle to keep up inventory.
"We’ve registered over 70 families since May alone," she told CTV News.
These days, the WIM is seeing more young families and a lot more seniors.
"Seniors are typically able to budget themselves very well based on their pension and fixed income, but now going into the grocery store, it’s a whole different story," Scarrow explained.
Cherry Dunn says she and her husband are barely making ends meet.
"I’m horrified at how fast everything is going up. I mean, just your normal, everyday stuff, like your eggs, your bread -- it’s prohibitively expensive," she said.
The average grocery bill is up nearly 11 per cent since last year. Bakery prices went up by more than 13 per cent, while the cost of edible fats and oils went up by nearly 28 per cent.
All of this means higher costs for food banks as well.
The WIM relies on food donations as well as its own produce from over 100 gardens. But some foods, like milk and eggs, are purchased by the organization.
"I would encourage people, when they're in the grocery store, to add a little extra in their basket if they're able to do that, or go online and donate," said Scarrow. "Cash over cans makes a huge difference, operations costs are just rising and we have to make sure we can keep the door open."
"If I had not had the food bank, we would have had to have left our home and gone into a shelter."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.