Emergency food services need reaching ‘astronomical highs’ at Root Cellar

She says on average they are seeing 1,700 clients on average per month since July.

According to HungerCount, an annual Food Banks Canada report released Thursday, there were nearly 1.5 million visits to food banks in March, a figure that was 15 per cent higher than the number of visits in the same month last year and 35 per cent higher than visits in March 2019, before the pandemic hit.

The increase is even more dramatic in Alberta.

“We have gone up 73 per cent in our province and that’s the highest across Canada,” says Mullis. “So these aren’t you know just … the people that you think are coming here. These are fixed-income seniors. These are people who are employed. These are your neighbours, your grandparents and your co-workers and the numbers are staggering and we should all be concerned.”

The report, which looked at data from more than 4,750 food banks and community organizations, said the skyrocketing cost of food and housing, as well as high inflation and low social assistance rates, have contributed to the rise in food bank usage.

Key Findings from HungerCount

156,690 Albertans accessed the food bank in March 2022, a 34% increase from 2021
Over 57,750 children access food banks in Alberta
44.9% of food bank users are families
11% of food bank users own their own homes; higher than the national average of 7.1%
59.7% of rural food bank users receive government assistance like AISH or CPP/pension
1 in 5 Albertans are experiencing food insecurity

In Medicine Hat, Mullis says people who used to be supporters are now coming to them for help and other former donors who simply can’t afford to give anymore. The Root Cellar now needs to focus more on buying food and make changes to programs to be able to stretch dollars further.

Mullis says they’ve worked with grocery partners on lower cost and bulk buying plans, but “we are definitely not immune to inflation and things are costing us a lot more as well.”

These are fixed-income seniors. These are people who are employed. These are your neighbours, your grandparents and your co-workers and the numbers are staggering and we should all be concerned – _{Melissa Mullis}

She adds staples like soup, tuna, peanut butter, flour, and canned fruits and vegetables are always appreciated. Cereal is also at the top of the needs list, as the Root Cellar doesn’t purchase it because of the high cost.

She also says despite how tough things may be at the Root Cellar help is available.

“We just want to reach out to the community and say that we’re here and that if you are experiencing a crisis and need emergency food that we would love you to reach out to us that we are here and that we will support you,” she says.

The Root Cellar welcomes donations at any time but one special event coming up is the Wild Food Drive 2022 on Nov. 16 and 17.

–with files from The Canadian Press

by Chris Brown

Emergency food services need reaching ‘astronomical highs’ at Root Cellar

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