After an initial drop off at the start of the Coronavirus Pandemic, the number of people using the Timmins Food Bank has climbed.
Rick Young, chairman of the food bank, said they are getting busier.
“When it first started up, our numbers actually dropped,” he explained. “But now, they are right back up to where they were before and we’re getting more emergency calls for food.
“People seem to be more desperate right now. We tell them that they can come once a month, but some of them say it’s just not enough.”
He believes people were being cautious at the start of the pandemic. But the need is growing as more folks face an increasing economic crunch.
“I think a lot of it was that people didn’t want to go out,” Young said. “Also, that money the government was giving them, a lot of them used that to buy food.
“The last three weeks, it has really picked up.”
The demographics for food bank clients are also changing.
“We used to get more families before this started,” he said. “Now, we are getting more individuals than families. I really don’t know what the answer is for that.
“We’re getting a lot of younger people. Our numbers for seniors dropped, but our numbers for younger people have really picked up a lot.
“The seniors don’t want to go out of the house.”
At the start of COVID-19, the food bank changed its distribution method. On Wednesdays, people used to go in and have a shopping-like experience in the bank’s pantry. Now, clients sign in, get in line, and are given three prepackaged bags of groceries.
The change allowed for safer social distancing and eliminated handling of items on the shelves by clients.
An annual summer collection event for the food bank has been delayed until at least September, pending recommendations from the Porcupine Health Unit. Members of the Timmins Fire Department, along with volunteer friends and family, take trucks out to collect donations of food in area neighborhoods.
“Our biggest drive, the Fireman’s Food Drive, we’re hoping to have that in September,” Young said. “That’s a key to a lot our success, the Firemen’s Food Drive.”
When the pandemic eases off, he also hopes to recruit some new volunteers.
“We’re working with a skeleton crew right now,” he said. “When this is over, we’re going to be looking for volunteers who can spend maybe three or four hours a week with our food bank or our household goods section upfront. That (section) operates 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. four days a week. So, if someone can spare a day or three or four hours a day, it would certainly be appreciated.
Young is pleased with the support the food bank continues to get.
“The companies and the people in Timmins have been great helping us out,” he said. “We’re actually giving out a lot more food now than we used to give before. People are so generous — the companies, stores, and individuals.
“The people of Timmins have really supported the food bank from Day 1. I can’t thank them enough.”
