Inflation hitting Saskatoon’s vulnerable hard

Laurie O’Connor with the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre said they’re preparing for some tough days ahead after having two record days of use last week.

“We are for sure bracing for folks to be struggling,” the executive director shared with Gerald Bowman, guest host of the Brent Loucks Show on 650 CKOM Tuesday.

With inflation still forcing grocery bills higher and some shelves looking bare of stock, O’Connor said the extra can of tuna or pasta sauce someone can spare for the food bank is appreciated.

January is already a month where donations drop, O’Connor shared.

“Folks have been so incredibly giving over the holiday season (and) just focus back on their daily lives,” she said.

Regular donations to the food bank are incredibly appreciated, O’Connor said, but she acknowledged they can’t be made if a store doesn’t have an item in stock. Stretched budgets also mean the demand for the food bank is rising.

New faces have been appearing, O’Conner said, and she’s seen some people coming for a second time this year already, as well as inquiring about a third.

Living on a fixed income, like social assistance or minimum wage — which is very low in Saskatchewan, O’Connor noted — puts pressure on the work the food bank is doing serving those in poverty.

“I think we’re all sort of bracing for that storm of low wages, low income and rising costs for everything,” she shared.

People looking to donate can seek out nutritious foods that they might use to feed their own families, including staples like pasta sauce, rice and canned proteins.

“Foods that will go a long way and that will help stock people’s pantries,” O’Connor explained.

However, if monetary donations in the form of cash or food aren’t possible for someone right now, O’Connor encouraged people to consider giving their time to volunteer at the food bank or learning about the root causes of poverty in their community so they can help advocate for change.