The Bonnyville Food Bank is getting its stats together for Food Banks Canada’s annual hunger count, and the numbers bear out a tale of a shocking spike in poverty.
The food bank saw a 97 percent increase in regular clients compared to this time last year. In 2015, the centre had 101 people in the community relying on them for food. This year it has shot up to 199. Assistant Executive Director Pauline Mawer says she had 42 new faces come through the door in a single week a while ago.
Supplies are desperate. The food bank’s shelf are scarce at the best of times and sometimes they have to send out smaller than standard hampers.