Over 7,000 households in Chatham-Kent wanted assist placing meals on the desk in 2024.
That’s based on Outreach for Starvation, a meals financial institution primarily based in Chatham.
Brenda LeClair, the non-profit’s government director, instructed CK Information Right this moment that is roughly 1,000 extra households than what they helped in 2023.
“To me, that’s disturbing. That’s something we need to take notice of, why is there so many people needing to turn to food banks,” she mentioned.
Whereas there’s nobody purpose for this, LeClair couldn’t assist however point out the rising price of residing. It is because a great chunk of individuals they’re serving to have jobs.
“It’s an alarming number of working families that just can’t make it with the cost of living, the cost of food,” she added.
Round three per cent of people that used Outreach for Starvation in 2024 had full-time jobs with one other 4 per cent having part-time jobs. One other 78 per cent obtained cash by way of totally different helps corresponding to Ontario Works, the Ontario Incapacity Help Program, and the Canada Pension Plan.
LeClair doesn’t imagine the subsequent 12 months will probably be any higher.
“I think we need to brace ourselves and be prepared for 2025,” she added.
To date, Outreach for Starvation is effectively stocked because of all of the donations the group obtained over Christmas and New 12 months’s.
Regardless of this, LeClair continues to be asking folks to donate if they’ll. Donations will be made on-line on the Outreach for Starvation’s web site and CanadaHelps, in addition to in individual on the meals financial institution’s location on Wellington Road West.
