The co-executive director of the London Food Bank is thanking the community for donating nearly as much as they did in 2022 despite the challenges of 2023.
Glen Pearson says as of Sunday evening, the food bank’s Fall Food Drive for 2023 had received 94,800 pounds in donations, down only 4,200 pounds from last year’s 99,000 pounds.
Pearson says the difference is due to two schools dropping off their donations in the upcoming week.
Last year’s Fall Food Drive received 50 per cent more donations than the drive in 2021.
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“If we’re going to compare (this year’s) numbers to last year’s numbers, Londoners this year did the same thing,” Pearson said. “They kept it at that level and we’re gobsmacked by that.”
“We know all about the rental costs and food prices (increasing), so Londoners had every reason not to give as much this year, (yet), they still chose to give. I think it’s phenomenal,” he said.
The London Food Bank supports 6,000 families a month, which is “42 per cent more than this time last year and 91 per cent more than this time two years ago,” according to Pearson.
The Fall Food Drive ran from Sept. 29 to Oct. 9, but Londoners can still drop off donations this upcoming week at grocery stores and fire halls or by donating online.
The official number for how much was donated will be calculated Wednesday.
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