The Business Cares Food Drive officially got underway on Thursday in support of the London Food Bank.
It’s the 23rd edition of the campaign, which runs from now until Dec. 21.
This year’s campaign is the third in a row with no concrete goal for donations. Last year’s campaign raised roughly 588,000 pounds worth of food and equivalent monetary donations.
“The community in the end will decide,” said campaign chair Wayne Dunn.
“I think in charitable giving, and particularly when we’re in an environment that we are, let the heart decide, because some people just can’t do it. We don’t want to make anybody feel they have to. … So give what you can, but only if you can.”
The drive comes at a time of record demand for the food bank’s services as high inflation puts pressure on Londoners’ pocketbooks.
Food bank officials say they have seen a 32 per cent rise in demand compared with the same time last year, with roughly 4,000 families a month, 11,000 individuals, turning to the food bank for help.
In addition to its own clients, the food bank assists more than 30 other local agencies and programs in the London area.
“It’s so difficult, and when we look at what’s potentially going to happen in the future, all we see is it going up and up and up,” said Jane Roy, co-executive director of the London Food Bank.
“It’s numbers. But again, those are individuals. Those are families that are really struggling. So, again, we look at it and go, whatever anybody can do to help will be great.”
Grocery prices have been rising at the fastest pace in decades in recent months. In October, grocery prices were 11 per cent higher than they were a year ago. That’s down from 11.4 per cent in September.
A report this week by Feed Ontario, a coalition of hunger relief organizations, reported 587,000 adults and children visited food banks a total of 4.3 million times between April 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022, a 15 per cent rise in people, and a 42 per cent rise in visits compared with 2019 figures.
According to Dunn, the campaign sees more monetary donations than it used to, likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated a virtual drive in 2020, and a hybrid campaign last year.
“We used to be pretty well 100 per cent food driven. Right now we’re 50/50, and the cash and cheques that are brought in really (allow) us to purchase the food that’s not in the warehouse — some protein, fresh (food),” he said.
“The other part of the cash and cheques that really make a big difference to us right now, is we’re able to fund the other programs throughout the year, and they all have great returns on them and everything, and that can’t be done without us having cheques.”
Information on how to contribute and drop-off locations can be found at BusinessCares.ca. Monetary donations can also be made through the website.
This weekend will see campaign volunteers at dozens of local grocery stores collecting non-perishable donations and/or cash donations, and Be a Fan, Bring a Can is scheduled for the Dec. 17 London Knights game against Flint.
Business pick-up days are scheduled for Dec. 16, 19, and 20.
— with files from Andrew Graham and The Canadian Press