Hand in hand

Canada’s food banks are facing unprecedented challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, but a critical donation of hand sanitizer from the Labatt Canadian Disaster Relief Program is helping them serve communities in need

- TINA ANSON MINE

For more than four million Canadians, food insecurity is an everyday reality. When the novel coronavirus arrived in the country in early 2020, providing food to people in need became a monumental struggle.

During the pandemic, Canadian food banks have seen a surge in demand. By late April, many had experienced a 20 percent increase, says Chris Hatch, CEO of Food Banks Canada, a charitable organization that supports agencies across the country working to alleviate food insecurity. “As we see a rise in company closures, layoffs, and Employment Insurance applications, we know that will have a trickle-down effect to food banks,” he says. “Over the coming months, we anticipate reaching 50 percent.”

Meanwhile, supply levels have waned. “There has been up to a 50 percent drop in food donations in some areas,” says Hatch. Food banks also face fierce competition for essentials due to public stockpiling at an already critical point in the year when donations typically slump. Add to this a sharp decline in mission-critical volunteers and staff, who are following public health guidelines around physical distancing. “The combination of challenges hitting food banks all at once is hard to deal with,” says Hatch. “It puts tremendous pressure on the front lines.”