The Regina Food Bank is seeing more than double the number of people using its services due to COVID-19, serving over 14,000 people per month, compared to 5,000 for the same time period in 2019.
The charity organization, which relies solely on community support to feed those in need, is also experiencing a significant drop in donations from the public. CEO John Bailey said its logistics have gone up exponentially from purchasing food to meet the demand.
“We are purchasing from suppliers and wholesalers to make sure we are getting food to those in need,” Bailey said. “If numbers stay like this and donations stay low on the food end, we are going to have to continue to rely on eating into our reserves to make sure we are getting food to people who need it.”
Bailey said the organization is expecting an even higher surge in demand in the fall, and is encouraging donations from the community to sustain its services.
“Food donations or money are really important right now because we are doing a lot of purchasing,” Bailey said. “We are going to continue thinking about how we can keep things going because our big goal is to make sure people are getting the food they need.”
The food bank changed the way it operates due to the pandemic, shutting off pickup services at its physical location and moving to 100 per cent food delivery.