London Food Bank wraps up Spring Food Drive with slight decline in donations
The London Food Bank is wrapping up its Spring Food Drive and is calling this year's effort a success. However, the numbers aren't much of an improvement on previous campaigns.
"We're down a little bit in food, and we're up a little bit in money so overall it ends up being down a little bit just due to the fact that the food evaluation has gone up," explained Jane Roy, co-director of the food bank.
Despite the impact of inflation on donations, Roy said they are actually really pleased the public came out and supported those in need.
"This is what one can one bag looks like when we all participate and we all just do a little bit,” said Roy as she pointed to skids full of donations from this year’s Spring Food Drive.
As of Monday morning, 48,744 lbs of food and $81,242 in cash donations had been collected.
But with the cost of food being $3.52 a pound, that puts this year’s total so far below last year’s numbers.
With food insecurity on the rise, London Food Bank’s services are being used by more people than ever before and another accumulating cost is now boxes.
"When we first started the food bank, we didn’t pay for boxes or bags or anything like that. But obviously with the changes that have come, and the fact that we're so busy," explained Roy.
Over at the St. Thomas Elgin Food Bank, they have gone green.
"We fill carts like grocery carts, and when our clients have pre-ordered, we just take them down a little ramp and they in turn put them into their reusable bags or into their grocery bins that they may have," said Manager of Public Relations and Administration of the St. Thomas Elgin Food Bank, Karen M. McDade.
The London Food Bank serves more than 5,200 families per month, and ask users to bring their own boxes and bags if possible.
During the Spring Food Drive, the food bank collects food donations with donation bags available at grocery stores. The drive ran from Good Friday until April 1 this year.
"People come to the food bank as a year round thing, so when it comes to giving, now most of the grocery stores continue to have those bins,” said Roy.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Grayson Murray's parents say the two-time PGA Tour winner died of suicide
Grayson Murray's parents said Sunday their 30-year-old son took his own life, just one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event.
Blaine Higgs 'furious' over sexual education presentation
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
Some birds may use 'mental time travel,' study finds
Real quick — what did you have for lunch yesterday? Were you with anyone? Where were you? Can you picture the scene? The ability to remember things that happened to you in the past, especially to go back and recall little incidental details, is a hallmark of what psychologists call episodic memory — and new research indicates that it’s an ability humans may share with birds called Eurasian jays.
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
Driver, 18, gets $3,000 ticket, 32 demerit points after speeding on Laval boulevard
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.
Indianapolis 500 delayed as strong storm forces fans to evacuate Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The start of the Indianapolis 500 was delayed as a strong storm pushed through the area Sunday, forcing Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials to evacuate about 125,000 fans who had already arrived for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Hamas rocket attack from Gaza sets off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv for the first time in months
Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv for the first time in months on Sunday in a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel's massive air, sea and ground offensive.
At least 13 dead in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after severe weather roars across region
Powerful storms killed at least 13 people and left a wide trail of destruction Sunday across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after obliterating homes and destroying a truck stop where dozens sought shelter in a restroom during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S.