Saskatoon free food programs jeopardized by inflation
With rising inflation across the country programs that provide free food in Saskatoon are contending with unprecedented need.
At the Friendship Inn they’re used to serving breakfast and lunch to a thousand people a day.
Lately, it’s even more.
“Now our numbers have increased. Really increased,” said Sandra Kary, Executive Director of the Friendship Inn told CTV News.
They’re seeing about five hundred more people each day, which they attribute to a variety of factors.
“Housing security or income security,” Kary said. “If you’re trying to pay bills and stabilize housing, food is the first thing that you’re going to try and adapt with so that’s why we get more people.”
The reality that fundraising support may dry up because of the state of the economy weighs heavily on their minds.
“Hey, we still need help. We still need support and maybe we have to have a broader reach to more donors to actually meet our targets if in fact those donors have to tighten those belts too,” she says.
There’s a similar situation at The Saskatoon Foodbank and Learning Centre. This is not the usual time of year when they have a donation drive, but this year the need is so great.
“The price of gas; the price of food is hitting people hard, and we’re no exception here and we’re seeing the impact” said Deborah Hamp, Director of Operations at the Food Bank and Learning Centre.
“We’re seeing over 20,000 people a month,” she said. “The need is really urgent. People are really struggling and it’s really difficult to keep up with the demand,” she said.Hamp has seen many changes over her 12 years with the Food Bank, but this year is different.
“The impact of inflation is really concerning,” she said.
Last year they saw about 13,000 people coming in each month.
This year that has jumped.
“We’re seeing over 20,000 people a month,” she said. “The need is really urgent. People are really struggling and it’s really difficult to keep up with the demand,” she said.
The good harvest helped with fresh produce donations this year, says Hamp, but they are uncertain if it will be enough.
“The sheer number, the sheer volume that makes it really difficult to keep up with the demand on a daily basis.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.