Jump in donations comes at time of great need for London Food Bank

The London Food Bank in London, Ont. is seen in this undated file image. (File)

The month of March saw a record number of people using the London Food Bank with more than 5,400 families — or 14,000 people — coming in for food donations.

The 36th annual spring food drive wraps up on Monday as Londoners have dug deep to donate.

With donations still coming in, so far more than 72,000 lbs of food have been collected over the 10 days of the drive. That’s up about 30 per cent over last spring when 55,000 lbs were donated.

“We know a lot of people are hurting but yet they continue to give,” said Glen Pearson, co-executive director of the London Food Bank. “People are having a hard time paying their rent as well has buying food for their families, and the numbers show it.”

Pearson said London is not the only food bank that has seen a sharp increase in demand, but similar organizations across the country are in the same boat.