The Prince George Salvation Army has seen an increase in the number of people accessing their food bank services this year, community ministries director Roy Law says.
The Salvation Army has seen a roughly 25 per cent increase in demand, compared to last year. So far this year, the Salvation Army food bank has had roughly 2,300 visits, and those numbers are rising as Christmas approaches.
“There is definitely some new faces. Those who were close to that fence line before have been pushed over,” Law said. “We’ve been able to handle that increase. (But) as we go along, we rely on the community to help that.”
The Salvation Army relies on the generosity of Prince George businesses, volunteers and donors, Law said. Prince George always comes through for people in need, he added.
A national survey, released on Monday, shows that 20 per cent of Canadian households are reducing meal size or skipping meals to deal with rising food costs, The Canadian Press reported. Statistics Canada reported that, as of September, grocery prices were up 11.4 per cent compared with last year.
Last week Food Banks Canada announced that a record 1.5 million Canadians accessed food banks in March, The Canadian Press reported.
This year’s local Salvation Army Kettle Campaign, running Nov. 12 to Dec. 24, will be critical for the Salvation Army to be able to keep providing services throughout 2023, Law said.
“It’s crucial. It is about our only main fundraiser every year,” he said. “We try to survive the year with that. It’s been over 100 years with that.”
With COVID-19, “the last few years have been challenging with volunteers,” he said. The Salvation Army was forced to reduce its number of kettle locations, because there weren’t enough volunteers to staff them.
To volunteer, phone 250-596-HOPE(4673) or sign up online.
“The two best ways to help are volunteering and donations,” Law said. “We call it giving. Giving doesn’t have to be money.”
