Food And Drinks

Meals financial institution affiliation president requires donations amid ‘disaster state of affairs’ in Windsor-Essex

By Letitia Mooney

  1. Local News

Lynda Davidson, food bank coordinator at the Unemployed Help Center is shown at the facility on Friday, October 28, 2022. Lynda Davidson, food bank coordinator at the Unemployed Help Center is shown at the facility on Friday, October 28, 2022. Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star

Lengthy lineups at local food banks and ever-dwindling pantry supplies have prompted a regional call to action from the president of the Windsor-Essex Food Bank Association.

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With visits to area food banks up 22 per cent compared to pre-pandemic levels, June Muir is asking every resident who is able to donate $5 to the UHC Hub of Opportunities, the organization at the helm of the 15 local food banks.

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“We are in a crisis situation right now,” Muir told the Star. “For anybody on a fixed income, it’s become a necessity to use a food bank today.

“We are seeing families that are working, youth, international students — there are just so many people now in need.”

An annual report released Thursday by Food Banks Canada said food bank use rose to the highest levels in Canadian history this year. There were early 1.5 million visits to food banks in March, up 35 per cent compared to pre-pandemic visits during the same month in 2019.

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Food inflation is higher than inflation

“Canada’s food banks are facing uncharted challenges as turbulent economic conditions continue to exacerbate and deepen systemic inequities, especially for employed people earning low incomes, students and seniors on fixed incomes,” said Food Banks Canada CEO Kirstin Beardsley.

Lynda Davidson, food bank coordinator at the Unemployed Help Center is shown at the facility on Friday, October 28, 2022. Lynda Davidson, food bank coordinator at the Unemployed Help Center is shown at the facility on Friday, October 28, 2022. Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star

The local UHC food bank alone served nearly 47,000 people from January to September 2019. In the same months this year, that number rose to more than 74,000.

That’s an increase of 59 per cent for the local organization.

“Food inflation is higher than inflation. That’s what I’m reading — people just can’t afford to buy food,” Muir said. “When you’re buying food, you want to buy healthy food, and healthy food is very expensive.

Demand has grown so much that the UHC has had to reduce how frequently it gives out food hampers, which contain milk, eggs, meat, children’s snacks, and more. Instead of once a week, it now gives out hampers twice a month.

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“We can’t keep food on our shelves,” Muir said. “We cannot give people a nutritional hamper every week. We just can’t do it.”

Monetary donations can be made through the UHC website (uhc.ca) by clicking the purple “donate” option at the top of the page. The UHC distributes food to food banks across Windsor and Essex County, and 100 per cent of donations are used to purchase food.

Food donations are also accepted at UHC’s Windsor (6955 Cantelon Dr.) and Belle River (612 Notre Dame St.) locations.

Rukshini Ponniah-Goulin, executive director of the Downtown Mission is shown in the food bank area at the Ouellette Avenue location on Wednesday, July 28, 2022. Donations are down and supply is limited. Rukshini Ponniah-Goulin, executive director of the Downtown Mission is shown in the food bank area at the Ouellette Avenue location on Wednesday, July 28, 2022. Donations are down and supply is limited. Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star

Earlier this month, Downtown Mission executive director Rukshini Ponniah-Goulin said the number of people coming to the organization’s Ouellette Avenue food bank has grown by 55 per cent since last year.

“A year ago, more people were coming to us for meals in our dining hall. We’re now seeing more people coming to our food bank every day for food for themselves and their family,” Ponniah-Goulin said.

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“These are individuals who, in most cases, have never gone to a food bank before, and in some cases have never gone looking for any type of support anywhere.”

  1. June Muir, CEO of the Unemployed Help Centre, front, and members of her staff are shown at the organization on Thursday, June 23, 2022 where bins are set up to accept Miracle Food Drive donations.

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  2. 'Anyone can donate anytime.' June Muir, President of the Windsor-Essex Food Bank Association, goes through donations made to the Miracle food drive on Monday, June 27, 2022.

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  3. Food bank donations are shown in this 2018 file photo.

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Ponniah-Goulin encouraged anyone who can do a food donation drive with their friends, workplace, or church group to do so.

“More people are coming to us this year than they did last year and we don’t want our shelves to be bare when they come here.”

Building affordable housing and creating a guaranteed basic income would help to decrease the demand for food assistance, Muir said.

“Food banks are not a solution to poverty,” she said. “We want to see a Canada where no one goes hungry.”

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