Montreal food bank sounding the alarm as demand increases

As the cost of living continues to rise, lines at food banks in Montreal are getting longer and with more people in need, one food bank in the city is sounding the alarm.

Every Monday at 2 p.m., Cuisine et vie collectives Saint-Roch starts providing food aid for people in need at William-Hingston Centre in Montreal’s Parc-Extension neighbourhood.

“Sometimes they can wait from 8 o’clock in the morning until 4 o’clock and we have to tell them, ‘I’m sorry there’s no more food,’ but they wait, just in case,” said Nancy Dion, activities coordinator at Cuisine et vie collectives Saint-Roch.

The organization has around 200 members that use the food bank on a weekly basis but Dion says she sees more than 200 people.

“Every month since the end of COVID-19 it’s been increasing. So, we’ll say that we started to have like 100 person per week six months ago and now it’s almost 300 to 400 that comes every week,” said Dion.

Dion says the majority that uses their services are newcomers who speak neither English nor French, many of whom are waiting for their working permits.

Adriana Valencia, a young mother and recent newcomer says the food bank helps out her family since they don’t have a lot of money.

“We haven’t been in Canada for a long time because we are immigrants. But it’s a good opportunity for the whole community and for five dollars we get a lot,” said Valencia.

Last month, the organization had to call the police in order to control the growing crowds.

“It’s the first time and I’ve been working here for almost two years but it’s the first-time last month that it was that bad and as far as we are concerned every bank food here in Parc-Extension is the same situation,” said Dion.

Food banks in Parc-Extension, one of Canada’s poorest neighbourhoods, are not the only ones grappling with the increase in demand.

According to Food Banks Canada, in March 2023, there were almost two million visits to food banks across the country. A 32 per cent increase compared to 2022 and a 78.5 per cent increase compared to 2019, the highest year-over-year increase in usage ever reported.

As demand increases, Dion says the organization lacks financial resources and staff to meet the community’s needs.

“People don’t realize that we are in the front line and we are the first ones that actually help those people that just arrived in Canada.”