(Montreal) Inflation poses a double challenge for food banks. At the same time that the basket of groceries becomes more expensive for the most disadvantaged, the foodstuffs purchased by charities are more expensive, notes Martin Munger, general manager of the Food Banks of Quebec.
“Since September, it’s more difficult, says Munger. You can really tell when you go to food banks that there are more people coming than the summer or last spring. ”
The grocery cart isn’t the only factor putting pressure on people who go to food banks, he adds. In Quebec, the consumer price index rose 5.3% over one year, according to Statistics Canada.
“When rent is more expensive, when travel costs more, when children’s clothes to go to school are more expensive. The compressible mass at the end is food. When they cannot support themselves, people come to food banks. ”
Already in March, nearly 610,000 people went to food banks every month, according to a report published by Food Banks of Quebec. This was a 22% increase from before the pandemic. This figure could be even higher with the surge in inflation.