Montreal food banks see spike in visits

MONTREAL — More than ever before, Canadians are turning to food banks to stay alive.

The national numbers have hovered around record levels for years and Montreal has not been spared the pain.

At On Rock Community Services, a food bank in Pierrefonds, Kim Reid, the community organization’s president, prepares food baskets for his clients.

“There’s two lines of tables, which go into that room there, all the way to the stage and there’s a line there which is filled with boxes,” said Reid while showing a big empty space.

It’s only Tuesday.

“So this week we had, I believe 193 families,” Reid went on.

“We picked up 10-12 new families last week.”

The annual Hunger Report released Tuesday shows that it’s not just On Rock that has had a spike in visits – food banks across the country are feeling the pinch.

The province of Alberta is being hit the hardest.

READ MORE: Going Hungry: Food bank visits spike across Canada – in Alberta most of all

In Montreal, Reid blames it on the economy.

“When the economy is not doing well, donations go down,” said Reid.

“So, the need for our services goes up but the money coming in for us to operate gets a little tight.”

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Reid said layoffs have played a part in the increase.

“There’s also the people in their 50s who are losing their jobs, who are being laid off, who are struggling to find another job,” stressed Reid.

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The NDG Food Bank said immigrants are the bulk of their clients and now that Quebec is preparing to receive thousands of newcomers, they are taking action.

“We’re working with other community organizations in NDG, including some immigration organizations to try and find a strategy for the potential influx of Syrian refugees,” said Daniel Rotman, head of the NDG Food Depot.

Rotman said emergency baskets are only a part of the solution and existing solely as a food bank is no longer an option.

It’s why they’re merging with two other organizations: Action Communiterre, an urban agriculture organization, and Boite à Lunch, an organization that does nutritional activities with children in school.

“We’ve expanded our programming while maintaining our emergency food baskets,” added Rotman.

Food banks are preparing for the busy Christmas season and they’re asking the public to donate generously for the difficult winter months ahead.