Early start to winter keeping food bank and fuel company busy
'When it's stretched over a longer period of time is when we really see the difference'
An early start to cold temperatures on P.E.I. this winter has a lot of Islanders paying for more fuel to heat their homes, which could be impacting their grocery budgets.
CBC meteorologist Jay Scotland said November, December and January, all saw below-seasonal temperatures for the entire month. Although February has been warmer on average so far, there have been a few of colder than normal stretches.
The Upper Room Food Bank in Charlottetown says they see a spike in usage during the winter months.
General manager Mike MacDonald said more people were reaching out for help in November and December with the early start to the winter season.
"We would usually see about 300 more individuals using our food bank when we compare to our summer months," he said.
"Lack of year-round work might be part of it but a lot of people mention the cold and heating their homes and the extra costs that go with that."
MacDonald said the Upper Room helped about 1,600 people with food this January.
He says it's a similar pattern every year — clients overwhelmed with the costs of a cold winter.
"We're always going to see those spikes of cold weather but it's when it's stretched over a longer period of time is when we really see the difference and I think people really struggle through those times."
MacDonald says the higher demand during the winter months is experienced by food banks across P.E.I.
Others are also trying to deal with the challenge of paying for more fuel to heat their homes.
The owner of oil delivery company Feasible Fuels says it's about twice as busy as last year. It offers smaller amounts of fuel for those people concerned they are running out but can't afford to fill up their home tank.
Jeff Mellish said more than 100 calls are coming in daily from people worried about their oil tank running dry.
"The colder the weather, the harder it is, especially with this wind that's blowing today, it really takes temperatures down in houses," Mellish said. "We definitely see people struggle to keep the heat in their houses."
Mellish says they now have twice the number of trucks they did last year working on the Island. He estimates natural growth in the business accounts for some of that but the rest is due to the longer winter.
"It definitely affects everybody's budget. It doesn't matter who you are, when the temperatures drop like this, the furnace is just using more oil."
More P.E.I. news
With files from Laura Meader