Ontario’s London Food Bank is seeing more first time visits on a daily bases in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jane Roy, co-executive director of the community organization, said the numbers at the food bank have stayed consistent, with 100 to 110 families accessing the service each day.
“What’s striking us is the percentage of families that are coming that have never had to visit the food bank before.”
On Tuesday, 31 per cent of families that accessed the food bank were there for the first time.
“These were students who had been working part-time but had no source of income now, and there were folks who had been laid off who had not applied for the Canadian emergency relief benefit,” Roy remarked.
“When you see folks come in that have never had to come before, it’s obviously really difficult for them to come to a place like a food bank, but that’s what we’re there for.”
Londoners have stepped up in a big way to support the London Food bank’s annual virtual food drive amid the pandemic.
Roy remarked they have three times more donations for their virtual food drive now than what they had at this point last year.
“It was emotional to see of those donations and comments from folks saying they wanted to help.”
Donations to the food bank have ranged in size from $5 to upwards of $2,000.
So far, the food bank has raised a couple hundred thousand dollars, which Roy said works out to be just below a hundred thousand pounds of food.
The money raised will go to support not just the food bank but also a number of other agencies that the food bank partners with.
Those wanting to donate and support the food bank can find more information on the London Food Bank’s website.
As of Thursday, the Middlesex London Health Unit reported a total of 170 COVID-19 cases in the region with 48 cases now resolved and a total of 8 deaths.