Food organizations on the ‘edge of a cliff’ as demand continues to surge in Thunder Bay | CBC News

Thunder Bay’s Regional Food Distribution Association (RFDA) is hoping to form new partnerships as it struggles to keep up with surging food bank demand.

“We’re sort of on the edge of a cliff, looking around saying: ‘How do we deal with that?'” Volker Kromm, RFDA executive director, said during CBC Thunder Bay’s annual Sounds of the Season broadcast on Friday morning at the Thunder Bay International Airport.

“Because of the food pricing, an extra number of people are coming to the food banks for the very first time,” he said. “We had trouble getting food. We can’t afford to buy. The donations are down.”

“It is a situation where we have to make major decisions. Do we cut back our services, or do we extend the hand out for help?” he said. 

Kromm said the RFDA — which provides food to food banks in northwestern Ontario — is looking to form new partnerships, and is changing its overall approach as it tries to meet rising demand.

“We’re forming a buying group to try to find best prices, bulk suppliers,” he said. “We’re changing our model a little bit. In order to be able to satisfy the needs around the region, we have to look bigger. We have to become more commercial, more professional.”

CBC Thunder Bay’s 2023 Sounds of the Season broadcast included a number of guests who spoke about their efforts to improve food accessibility in the region.

Zacharius Tait, program manager at the Wapekeka Child and Family Advocacy Program, discussed how residents of Wapekeka First Nation, located about 450 kilometres northeast of Sioux Lookout, are coping with rising food costs.

Tait said groceries in the community cost three times more than in places like Thunder Bay.

“Most of the time, we’re doing our best to live off the land,” he said. “We have our harvester groups, our members that are in traditional land-based working areas, they do their best to to help sustain and provide sustenance for elderly, and the ones that … love traditional food.”

“Usually we depend on the grocery services, our community stores and other little convenience stores,” he said. “We’re doing our best to have that food accessible for everyone, but the pricing is high.”

A plane full of food is scheduled to be delivered to Wapekeka by the RFDA next week as part of the Sounds of the Season campaign.

Monica Kovacs said she’s been visiting food banks in Thunder Bay since she moved to the city five years ago.

“I went from middle class to homeless when I arrived in Thunder Bay,” Kovacs said. “I utilized food banks, soup kitchens, and once COVID hit, being a certified PSW, it was like, ‘OK I got to go to work, I am needed, I am essential.’

But I still found myself struggling even though I was working,” she said. “I live in low-income housing, so it is geared to income and it does help going to food banks.”

Kovacs recalled being surprised at the number of people at the food bank when she made her first visit. And while Kovacs said she’s felt embarrassed and judged for using the service, she encouraged people who are reluctant to go despite the stigma about making the trip.

“For for the ones that … feel like they’re too shy, too embarrassed, to humiliated to go to food bank, just go,” Kovacs said. “Maybe if the doors open at 12, don’t go at 12 when it’s really busy. Go in the middle where it’s not so rushed.”

Volunteers have told her they see unprecedented numbers of employed people visiting food banks.

Meanwhile, everyone is feeling the pinch when purchasing food at grocery stores in the city.

So Thunder Bay’s Emily Juurakko is doing her part to help people get the most out of their food budget through her Instagram account.

“I was talking to a friend,” said Juurakko, who manages the housing justice and case management programs at the Thunder Bay branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association. “It was maybe nine months ago, and she was telling me that she was going through hard times and asked if I could help her save some money, and she knew that I had all these things that I do regularly to cut back on our expenses.”

“Something in me just snapped. I was on maternity leave at the time and definitely feeling that void of not helping people, because that’s what my profession is all about.”

So Juurakko launched her Instagram account — @morethansaving — which has since grown to more than 4,600 followers.

“The main theme is all about maximizing your paycheck,” she said. “I post my grocery hauls weekly. I have a $150 grocery budget for my family of four, and I share the bills. I break down the deals. I talk kind of about the psychology behind how I stay motivated, and I talk a lot about budgeting too.”

“I share a budget dashboard and all of the things that go into the big picture of how to save money.”

Juurakko even shared a few tips during her Friday morning interview on Superior Morning:

• Get an app, such as Flipp, which allows people to view all grocery store flyers in their area.
• Take advantage of price matching.
• Sign up for loyalty programs.
• Make use of coupons.

Kromm said despite the struggles brought on by high demand, the RFDA is pushing ahead with a number of initiatives in the coming weeks.

“We have a big food hamper program going out next week, so it’ll be crazy busy,” he said. “Every community regionally has one of those, and so a lot of food is going out so that people at Christmas time have a little bit extra so they can celebrate the holiday season.”

“And then we start all over again because it doesn’t stop there,” Kromm said. “Hunger is 12 months of the year. Maybe we take one day off, but the rest of the time is we have to think about getting food to every community, every food bank and meal program here in Thunder Bay regionally and in the far north.”

“So we have a lot of projects on the go now which involves multiple provinces and territories and a lot of new partnerships.”

Sounds of the Season

To fight hunger this holiday season, CBC Thunder Bay hosted a morning of giving at the Thunder Bay International Airport on Friday, Dec. 8. 

All food and funds raised will support the Regional Food Distribution Association. Those who wish to make a donation can do so here.