Food banks in Toronto and Mississauga are sounding the alarm as they have only been able to secure about half of their Thanksgiving donation goals.
Meghan Nicholls, CEO of Food Banks Mississauga, which leads a network of more than 60 food programs including nine food banks, says that soaring grocery costs and living expenses are forcing some people to rely on food banks for the first time, while others who were once able to both purchase their own food as well as donate are no longer able to do so. ”(Higher living costs are) decreasing the amount of expendable income (people) have,” said Nicholls “And so they’re donating less.”