Post by kelvin on Dec 13, 2008 13:02:14 GMT -5
www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/546883
Dec 02, 2008 04:30 AM
Isabel Teotonio
Staff Reporter
A weakening economy has resulted in the "alarming increase" of Ontarians using food banks – a 13 per cent jump since last fall – according to a report released today by the province's food banks.
And if the current trend continues, it is projected that next year about 350,000 Ontarians will be using food banks each month, making that an all-time high, said the Ontario Association of Food Banks.
The report provides an early snapshot of the difficulties facing families who are struggling with job losses and the rising costs of food and energy. And, with the looming recession, it is also a harbinger of things to come.
"We now know we're at the leading edge of the storm," said the association's executive director, Adam Spence, adding the spike in usage occurred in the past six months.
"For us, this is the first evidence that the economic conditions in Ontario are having an impact on tens of thousands of families."
Between September 2007 and September 2008, there was an average increase of 13 per cent in food bank usage across the province, with Toronto reflecting the provincial average. Some of the greatest increases were in mid-sized communities hit hard by manufacturing job losses, such as Cornwall, Thunder Bay and St. Catharines.
These figures are in stark contrast from six months ago when the March 2007 to March 2008 numbers showed overall food bank usage had decreased slightly by 1.3 per cent. Major data sources for the report include information collected from the food banks, an annual survey that 60 per cent of its members responded to and data from Statistics Canada and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
Gail Nyberg, executive director of the Daily Bread Food Bank, said food and financial donations this calendar year are down 15 per cent. Food banks in Scarborough are "being inundated," she added.
"What really jumps out at me (in this report) is that we're all in the same boat – it isn't just a Toronto thing or a GTA thing," she said. "This is just the tip of the iceberg."
Dec 02, 2008 04:30 AM
Isabel Teotonio
Staff Reporter
A weakening economy has resulted in the "alarming increase" of Ontarians using food banks – a 13 per cent jump since last fall – according to a report released today by the province's food banks.
And if the current trend continues, it is projected that next year about 350,000 Ontarians will be using food banks each month, making that an all-time high, said the Ontario Association of Food Banks.
The report provides an early snapshot of the difficulties facing families who are struggling with job losses and the rising costs of food and energy. And, with the looming recession, it is also a harbinger of things to come.
"We now know we're at the leading edge of the storm," said the association's executive director, Adam Spence, adding the spike in usage occurred in the past six months.
"For us, this is the first evidence that the economic conditions in Ontario are having an impact on tens of thousands of families."
Between September 2007 and September 2008, there was an average increase of 13 per cent in food bank usage across the province, with Toronto reflecting the provincial average. Some of the greatest increases were in mid-sized communities hit hard by manufacturing job losses, such as Cornwall, Thunder Bay and St. Catharines.
These figures are in stark contrast from six months ago when the March 2007 to March 2008 numbers showed overall food bank usage had decreased slightly by 1.3 per cent. Major data sources for the report include information collected from the food banks, an annual survey that 60 per cent of its members responded to and data from Statistics Canada and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
Gail Nyberg, executive director of the Daily Bread Food Bank, said food and financial donations this calendar year are down 15 per cent. Food banks in Scarborough are "being inundated," she added.
"What really jumps out at me (in this report) is that we're all in the same boat – it isn't just a Toronto thing or a GTA thing," she said. "This is just the tip of the iceberg."