Food banks will have no respite during the holiday season. They are struggling to meet the demand for Christmas baskets and fear the consequences of rising food prices.
At the offices of Jeunesse au Soleil, on Parc Street, in Montreal, volunteers and employees are not idle on this second day of distribution of Christmas baskets.
“This year, demand is very strong. All the baskets have been reserved, we only take emergencies, ”says Ann St-Arnaud, spokesperson for Jeunesse au Soleil, which is preparing to help 5,000 families during the holiday season.
The rise in the cost of food accentuates the food insecurity of many families. “Everything is very expensive now. We are trying to adapt by eating less meat, ”says Nathalie Eder, who was going to Sun Youth for the first time on Thursday.
According to the Annual Food Price Report released Thursday, the overall cost of food will increase between 5% to 7% in 2022. For a family of four, annual food expenses could increase by $ 966.08 from 2021.
It is difficult for everyone, but especially for poorer families. It might be complicated for a family of 4 to pay an extra $ 1,000.
Amour B., met when he was coming to get his Christmas basket
“We’re going to live with it, but it’s difficult. It would be a good thing if the government tried to mitigate this shock, ”he adds.
Balanced baskets
After answering a few questions about their food preferences, each family leaves the Sun Youth organization with three bags filled with non-perishable products, fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs and milk.
“We also have chicken or fish, for people who don’t eat meat. They are very well balanced baskets that are made so that families can cook to their liking, ”says Mme St-Arnaud. New toys are also available for families with children under 12.
At the back of the organization’s premises, a dozen families wait for their basket at the drive-thru, while volunteers prepare the baskets which will be delivered by delivery the next morning.
“I was a little embarrassed to come, but the people are nice, it’s nice,” says Nebby Carriollo, a mother, who came to pick up a Christmas basket for the first time.
Rising demand
This year, the demand for food banks is 20 to 25% higher than in the pre-pandemic period in 2019, estimates Richard Daneau, general manager at Moisson Montreal, which will distribute more than 20,000 Christmas baskets this year.
“There would easily be demand for 10,000 or 15,000 more baskets in Montreal,” he says.
According to him, inflation is likely to bring more people and more traffic to the food counters, “because people will no longer have the financial means to buy the things that are more expensive like fruits, vegetables. and meat. ”
Mme Carrillo is already noticing the impact of higher revenues. “We have to adapt, we have no choice. I buy a lot less meat and cook more pulses. Even vegetables, the price starts to rise, ”she said.
Ann St-Arnaud explains that the grocery budget is often the first expense that is reduced in the event of financial difficulties. “People cannot cut their rents or their heating. The only place they can cut is in food and medicine, which is very damaging to their health, ”she says.
Richard Daneau invites people in need not to hesitate to go to food banks. “There is a barrier of humility and pride. People, before deciding to go to the food counter, will be hungry and will have made sacrifices. ”