'It’s scary to go grocery shopping': In-house food bank hopes to shore up donations as prices rise
With the dramatic rise in the cost of food, a grass-roots food bank at a London community housing apartment building is hoping to shore up support heading into the colder months.
“We have between 80 and 90 people now every month, which is a lot of people,” said Fran Wassmer of The Caring Cupboard. “It takes a lot of food to cover them, and I hate to see seniors go without food.”
The in-house food bank operates out of 30 Baseline Rd West and is run by a group of tenants. It serves just the tenants in the building — most of whom are seniors living on fixed incomes, Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Payments.
One of the coordinators, Mary Blancher, said they estimate that by this winter their list of tenants asking for help will have increased by 50 per cent since the start of the pandemic.
“We have some fantastic donors that are really generous to us, but it’s not going to be enough moving forward,” said Blancher. “The wintertime, we have people with disabilities, they’re not going to be able to get out as much to the stores. So we figure that our numbers are going to increase probably about ten per cent or more.”
Volunteer Margaret Robertson, a client herself, said she wouldn’t be able to get through the month without the help.
“Well it’s scary to go grocery shopping because everything has gone up, yeah. And nobody makes you feel like you’re a less person because you’re coming in and getting things here,” said Robertson.
The Caring Cupboard opens doors on the third Wednesday of every month. The timing is no accident, because it’s around the third week of the month that organizers say many people living on government assistance run out of money and run out of food.
Wassmer said she believes that by operating an in-house service they are also taking a small amount of pressure off of the London Food Bank.
“Trying to do the best we can to help everybody have food.”
Anyone wishing to donate to The Caring Cupboard can drop off donations to 30 Baseline Rd. West on Fridays between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. or call Fran Wassmer at 519-777-4808.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6976871.1721873052!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
DEVELOPING Jasper updates: Wildfire reaches townsite
One of two wildfires threatening Jasper National Park has reached the townsite.
Alberta calls in army to assist with wildfire situation
Alberta has called in the Canadian Armed Forces to help assist with the worsening wildfire situation in the province.
Biden explains why he ended re-election bid in Oval Office address
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Norad intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in apparent first
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
2 Canadians being 'sent home immediately,' removed from Olympic team after drone incident
An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and 'sent home immediately,' according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
An unwelcome attendee has joined the Paris Olympic Games: COVID-19
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Vacations, meals, booze: Contractor used $100K of charity's money for personal expenses, B.C. court finds
A B.C. man who was hired to help a non-profit build a food hub but instead spent the money on personal expenses – including travel, restaurants, booze and cannabis – has been ordered to pay more than $120,000 in damages.
Male, female killed, 2 others injured in 'gun battle' outside Toronto plaza: police
Two people are dead and two others suffered serious injuries following a shooting that police have described as a 'gun battle' outside a plaza in Scarborough, Ont. early Wednesday morning.