Food bank service on P.E.I. up 20% over the previous year

Key takeaways:

‘We’re bracing ourselves for an active summer.’
Food bank use on P.E.I. is up nearly 20 percent over the previous year, Mike MacDonald with the Upper Room Food Bank.

According to data released from Food Banks Canada this week, increasing inflation has food banks across the nation extended to their limits, and P.E.I. is no exception.

In a discussion Tuesday with C.B.C. News: Compass host Louise Martin, Mike MacDonald, executive director at The Upper Room Food Bank and Soup Kitchen, spoke for many working families on P.E.I., paycheques are just not going far adequate.

“We’ve noticed a 19 percent growth in food bank usage when we compare this year to last year, so it impacted us but more so on the people who come to use our services,” said MacDonald.

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According to data released from Food Banks Canada this week, increasing inflation has food banks across the nation extended to their limits, and P.E.I. is no exception

Right now, the food bank is serving almost 700 families per month — that’s an addition of approximately 200 families per month from just a couple of years back.

He said summer months are usually the slowest months as many people return to seasonal work, but that’s not this year.

“We’re bracing ourselves for an active summer,” he said.

Source – cbc.ca