{"id":549,"date":"2021-11-19T22:22:06","date_gmt":"2021-11-19T22:22:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/theragingtwenties\/?p=549"},"modified":"2021-12-02T17:55:13","modified_gmt":"2021-12-02T17:55:13","slug":"food-banks-dk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/theragingtwenties\/2021\/11\/19\/food-banks-dk\/","title":{"rendered":"Ottawa\u2019s food banks see rising poverty problem first-hand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A volunteer working behind the scenes at Carleton University food bank<\/em>. Photo by Neeharika Saha<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Tuesday, Asma stood at the entrance to the Parkdale Food Centre food bank on Hamilton Avenue North.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 33-year-old first arrived in Canada from Bangladesh in 2018 with her son, who is now 12, and she works as a lunchtime supervisor at a local school, three hours per day, five days a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFifteen hours is not enough to meet our needs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is not earning enough to sustain both herself and her son and relies on local food banks for assistance. She declined to share her last name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The groceries she gets from the food bank cover one week, and she has to buy food to cover three other weeks herself. She prefers to purchase long-lasting, non-perishable and frozen products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey are helpful,\u201d she said. During the pandemic, Asma could call the food bank and arrange the delivery of groceries to her building. The food bank never turned her away, even at times when stocks were low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf they don’t have much food, they can still give some food. And if they have more food, they give more food,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Tuesday she arrived to pick up groceries and was told to submit an advance request. But, after a few minutes, Inaya Siblini, the coordinator of the food bank, came out the front door, bearing a paper bag with what Asma needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asma is one of Ottawa\u2019s many hungry people. Some rely on the kindness and generosity of others to put basic food on their table and use local food banks to supplement other sources of food. Food prices are rising<\/a>, as are housing costs<\/a>, and the winter is expected to drive this increase even further up. In these conditions, food banks in Ottawa are a support source of last resort for an increasing number of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Entrance
Parkdale Food Centre welcomes people in need at 5 Hamilton Ave. North in Ottawa. Photo by Dennis Kovtun.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Most food bank users live in rentals and almost half worry about facing eviction or defaulting on mortgage payments<\/a>, according to a 2020 report by Feed Ontario. In 2020, more than half of those who used food banks in Ontario were under the age of 30, and more than 60 per cent relied on social assistance, such as disability payments or Ontario Works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With food prices rising, food banks are feeling the squeeze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything is getting so expensive,\u201d said Inaya Siblini. \u201cWe do have a certain budget for every item and the increase in prices is affecting our budget.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Siblini said her food bank saw a significant rise in demand over the last two years. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Parkdale Food Centre has been serving twice the number of clients as it had previously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you have the increase in the number of people you are serving, that definitely will be hard for you,\u201d Siblini said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She expects the number of people who come to the food bank to continue going up. \u201cThings are getting expensive, a lot. And there are more and more people who need food, especially when they do not have much income,\u201d she said. \u201cWe will make sure to do our best to serve everyone who seeks our help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Food
Food is stored and sorted inside the Parkdale Food Centre food bank. Photo by Dennis Kovtun<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

‘A paycheque away\u2019 from needing help<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Government income support programs during the pandemic helped many people avoid using the food bank, said Samantha Ingram, a communications manager at Ottawa Food Bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat really did help people, it really did show us that people are a paycheck away from requiring support, because without CERB, they came to us,\u201d she said. \u201cHowever, those supports from the government, they came in and they went through the course of the last 20 months. And as it is right now, demand is up a fair bit, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the individuals who use food banks are single parents, Ingram added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne-parent families are definitely a demographic that we see having to head to food banks. Kids are expensive. There’s a lot of expenses that come along with raising a family, especially when you’re doing it on your own,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ottawa Food Bank is not worried about its immediate future, said Ingram, who added they would be able to absorb the increased costs of food and increased demand thanks to the generosity of the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe community has been there for us. We’re truly an organization supported by the community, for the community. If it weren’t for the people who donate their hard-earned dollars, we certainly would not be able to do what we do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n