Across the GTA, food banks are seeing larger clientele causing a pivot in service
Video by Clesha Felicien
Multimedia by Vincent Tran
By Mariam Nouser
The COVID-19 pandemic has left local food banks with more users and fewer resources to support the demand.
Marcia White, Kendalwood Church Food Bank coordinator, says the food bank is getting too big to be held in the church’s basement.
“At the start of the year, we had 35 to 45 families,” said White. “Today we have 175 families.”
Adventist Community Services pivoted their way to serve the increase in families while maintaining proper health guidelines.
“Because of COVID-19, we couldn’t allow any of our clients to come in,” said Philip Lee. “Now, we take requests online or via telephone and have been delivering the food to their footsteps.”
Increased cost to meet demand
Feed the need in Durham’s annual costs have skyrocketed. As a major supplier to local food banks, they have seen a stark increase in the demand for food. According to organizer Victoria Berusha, the centre has already distributed over 50 per cent more food than last year.
“We have spent almost $150,000 in food this year,” said Berusha. “Last year, we spent around $20,000.”
From March to Aug. 2020, the supplier has seen an increase of 30 per cent more overall clients than the same time last year and 74 per cent more first-time clients.
Earlier this month, the federal government announced an additional $100 million to the Emergency Food Security Fund to assist food banks in putting food on the table for Canadians.
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