Inflation causing 'perfect storm' of instability in London, experts say

Nearly a quarter of Canadians are eating less due to rising costs, according to a poll conducted for Food Banks Canada, and the impacts of high prices and food insecurity are being felt right here in London.

From the London Food Bank to a fund that helps families pay for everything from lunches to eyeglasses and medicine, community supports are being stretched thin.

"Food banks are now seeing pressure unlike anything that they have seen before," said Glen Pearson, co-director of the London Food Bank. "We're now into record territory for the number of people that we are assisting not just at the food bank but through other agencies as well."

The food bank is currently assisting around 3,600 families per month, Pearson said. He expects that number to rise to 4,000 within a few months. They also supply more than 35 different organizations with food throughout the region, he said.

"It's now really moving into serious territory," he said. "We're really going to have to work hard to try to make sure that we have enough supplies to help them, but we've never seen it. It's a perfect storm."

Curbing hunger in summer months

The food bank has heard from people who are selling their cars and canceling holidays to make ends meet, Pearson said.

"Summer was a relaxing time where people could go up, pursue hobbies, go away to the cottage," he said. "Now there's more and more families that can no longer afford to do that and they're falling on hard times."

It's affecting everyone from seniors to students to people working two jobs, he said.

Inflation is leading to greater demand and making it difficult for people to donate, he said. "It's a double whammy and we're feeling it on both sides."

Donations tend to dip in the warmer months, so the London Cares Curb Hunger is designed to help the food bank get through the summer.

The campaign runs June 8 to June 18 and is a partnership between the food bank and the City of London. The community is encouraged to give financial donations, fresh and non-perishable food, as well as sign up to grow produce for the food bank.

"The generosity of donors is absolutely fantastic," Pearson said.

Rising needs at school

Inflation and food insecurity is also building pressure at the Caring Fund, a Thames Valley Education Foundation initiative providing emergency financial support to students and their families.

The program has seen a 90 per cent increase in requests since before the pandemic, said Jackie Ellefsen, executive director of the Thames Valley Education Foundation.

"That is significantly higher than we've ever seen before," she said.

"Rising food costs for families that are already at-risk is really difficult," and many new families are accessing their support for the first time, she said.

The community-funded program bridges the gap between crisis and long-term social support. Through requests from school principals, students can receive up to $500 per year, she said. The fund gave out around $100,000 a year pre-pandemic. This year, they're projecting to give out $250,000, she said, with $25,000 expected in the next three weeks.

"We know we're filling the gap," she said. "We do want to make sure our main goal is that students are sitting in their seats and that they are not hungry."

Ellefsen is hoping they'll raise $25,000 at the 5 Days Your Way fundraiser happening June 13 to 17. One hundred per cent of the financial donations go straight to the families, she said.

The Caring Fund runs through the summer, but they need the cash to make it happen.

"It's been a really surprisingly big year, so we need help again," she said. "We don't want to have to say no ever."

Challenges ahead

"We're hearing a lot from people who are saying that the prices of food have really begun to worry them," Pearson said. "It leaves them in a more precarious position than they were before."

He worries, too.

"We've been through so many recessions in my 35 years here at the food bank," Pearson said. "Every single time that these things have happened, Londoners have come through. The challenges are going to be huge."