Food bank director shares inflation impact with CKOM’s Mark Loshack

With Thanksgiving approaching, the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre is highlighting the impact inflation is having on families in the city.

On Thursday, food bank executive director Laurie O’Connor told CKOM Morning Show host Mark Loshack that higher food bills are driving more people to use food bank than ever before.

Since the start of summer, O’Connor said she’s seen a sharp increase in the number of people coming through the food bank’s doors, estimating that the organization is now feeding roughly 23,000 people each month.

“We’re doing our best to keep up,” O’Connor said.

“We’re happy to support people through this time, but we sure do hope decision makers are working to make some changes so the impacts to the general population are decreased.”

Canada’s inflation rate ticked up 4 per cent in August, with basic necessities like housing, fuel and food being the main drivers for the higher cost of living.

O’Connor said her phone rings every day with calls from new clients asking how to access services. She said that fact tells her that people who have never used a food bank before are now needing a little bit of extra help just to get by.

“With that number of folks coming to see us each month, it is a strain, for sure,” she said.

Laurie O’Connor, executive director of the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre. (650 CKOM file photo)

“(We’re) trying to ensure that we have enough nutritious food so that folks have a full basket when they come.”

Thanksgiving is traditionally one of the busiest times of the year for food banks, and O’Connor said there are many ways to help keep their shelves full, including volunteering.

The food bank accepts both cash and food donations. With hunting season ramping up there’s even an opportunity for hunters to contribute through a partnership with the Saskatoon Wildlife Federation.

O’Connor also encouraged people to think of the food bank while grocery shopping.

“The best thing to put in are the canned protein, hearty soups, stews and cereal. All those things that make up a family’s daily menu; those are the things that are important to us,” she said.