Food banks in Yukon struggle to meet ever-growing need

Demand is increasing at food banks across Canada and rural Yukon is feeling it acutely.

"Certainly we've seen the need increasing. In November, we ran out of hampers," said Sue Rudd, the local volunteer food bank co-ordinator in Watson Lake, Yukon, as a semi truck with December food hampers pulled in.

Watson Lake usually receives about 140 food hampers, sent from Whitehorse by the Food Bank Society of the Yukon, to feed hundreds of people in the town of just over a thousand people. 

According to federal estimates, Yukon has about a 12 per cent food insecurity rate, which is a little higher than a lot of Canada. And in Watson Lake, it's closer to a 25 to 28 per cent food insecurity rate. 

In other words, one in four people in that community aren't sure where their next meals may come from or if they'll have adequate food.

Watson Lake has one of the seven rural food banks that receive hampers from the Food Bank Society Yukon. The picture across rural Yukon is also one of growing need.

Volunteers work in the cold to unload pallets and move the donated food for hampers into the Watson Lake food bank. Rudd says she's not sure everyone in her community is aware of the extent of the hunger and insecurity. 

"It takes a lot of money to support that need, and we do get some support both from local members but also from some of the mining companies that work in the area. But it's just not enough." she said.

"The food needs are greater than the monetary support that comes to the food bank."

 Costs are rising, donations are not

In the last year, the number of people using food banks in the territory has gone up by 20 per cent, and since the start of the pandemic it's doubled, according to Dave Blottner, executive director for the Food Bank Society. 

"So to put that in very real terms we're seeing 22, 23-hundred people a month come in and use the food bank either here or across the territory," said Blottner. 

"More and more people come through and the cost of food is going up, cost of gas is going up, cost of operations is going up," he told CBC News.

The only thing not going up is donations. Blottner and Rudd both say they know everyone is stretched financially, including donors. 

"My team of volunteers and staff are wizards at making a penny go as far as it possibly can," said Blottner. "We have been using every trick of the trade: buying in bulk, working with other non-profits to try and pull food together."

He says knowing tougher times were on the horizon, the society was preparing as best it could.

"Like good little squirrels we've been putting away as many nuts as we could to try and deal with things as they come along. So we're managing right now, and the Yukon is a very generous community," Blottner said. 

In Watson Lake, Rudd and other volunteers will have a holiday food drive on Monday, Dec. 11, from 2:30 and 5:30 p.m.

"We'll be at the grocery store just accepting donations from people, trying to raise a little bit of awareness about the need in the community," Rudd said. 

Meanwhile Blottner is hopeful those Yukoners who can contribute will be generous this year, in whatever way possible. He says says people can give with their time by volunteering, by donating shelf-stable food, or by giving money if possible.

"December is our largest fundraising month of the year and we count on the generosity of Yukoners," he said.