Rise in food insecurity putting pressure on Cape Breton food banks

It might be a new year but food banks and soup kitchens around Cape Breton are still facing the same challenges. Many saw numbers grow through the holiday season and there’s no sign of demand slowing down.

Staff at Loaves and Fishes in Sydney are starting 2023 the same way 2022 ended – handing out meals to those in need.

“From last year, we’re up 60 meals,” said Marco Amati, the general manager of Loaves and Fishes. “Last year we did 120, and this year we did 180, so 60 meals we went up on Christmas Eve.”

An influx of international students, seniors and young family are just some of the clients currently experiencing food insecurity.

Amati says his clientele used to be roughly 70 per cent men and 30 per cent women, but not anymore.

“Now it’s like half and half,” said Amati. “We see a lot of seniors and a lot of young people come in now.”

For Linda MacCrae, who works at the Glace Bay Food Bank, it’s a similar story.

“Just for the month of December, we had 30 new clients, and that’s a lot for a food bank,” said MacCrae.

While things remain business as usual for MacCrae, she’s also worried about the impact rising food prices will have both on their customer base and their capacity to help.

“It’s telling me we’re going to have a real rough winter and a real rough year,” said MacCrae. “It’s still going to keep increasing. I don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel and we’re very concerned for our clients and the community.”

Back in Sydney, Amati is looking at ways to keep costs down. He says donations are still strong, but is concerned for how long that will last.

“We’re looking at solar panels in the future so we can save money to use to buy food,” said Amati.

While it might be a new year, Amati says there’s nothing new about the tough choices facing his clients, like whether to eat or heat their home.