The Executive Director of the Red Deer Food Bank Society says the national statistics suggest there has been a really large amount of growth and need for emergency food right across our country.
Mitch Thomson notes it has been evident in Red Deer as well where they are a little bit below the national average in Canada which has seen 94 per cent growth in four years. He says “we’re in the mid-80s but saying that, we talking about hundreds and hundreds of additional families each and every month that require service. In Red Deer, we will see 30,000 people receive emergency food from the region this year alone.”
In a media release, Food Banks Canada stated its Hunger Count 2024 data collection and analysis indicated that nearly 30 per cent of food banks across Canada have reported running out of food throughout this past year. Thomson says the Red Deer Food Bank includes itself in those numbers.
When it comes to finding a solution that helps reduce the reliance on food bank visits for Canadians, Thomson calls it a dynamic situation moving forward. He says “I think our province and our federal government both need to be looking at housing strategies. We need to continue to try and tackle issues around inflation. Whether it be relative to utilities or food or the housing market in relation to rental accommodations and things like that. For those on a fixed income or those who are renting a home, seeing large increases in rent can cause a lot of strain on households. These are all factors that, you know, that our governments can play a part in.”
Those who are in need of support can go online to RedDeerFoodBank.com for more details. Thomson points out that food banks across the region are available most days and look forward to helping those who they can.
For the Red Deer Food Bank, and the 17 food banks they support in the area, Thomson highlights the fact that fresh food is always a difficult thing to come by. He adds, they are all looking for hams or turkeys and things to ensure that everybody is able to have a Christmas dinner. Thomson says “so basic things like soup and pasta, cereal and rice are incredibly helpful at this time of year as well.”
More details on how to donate to the food bank are also available on the RDFB Society’s website.
