Charity concert for Durham Food Banks on Sunday responding to 'record demand'

Cale Crowe says this year's Concert to Feed the Need feels different.

The musician from Alderville First Nation has played the annual charity show multiple times now, but as the cost of living keeps rising, and the demand for food banks grows across the GTA, he says the need seems even greater.

"It's like the line between those that can help and those that need help has never been thinner, and never been more blurred," he said.

"I'm happier now than in other years, honestly, to contribute to something like this."

Crowe is one of seven Ontario musicians playing the Concert to Feed the Need in Oshawa Sunday.

The show is one of the flagship holiday fundraisers for Feed the Need in Durham, a charity that collects and distributes food to 65 programs across the region's eight municipalities. It's only the sixth annual edition of the concert, but CEO Ben Earle says the difference between the first concert and this season's is striking.

First off, he says the inaugural concert took place in a high school gymnasium, whereas this year's will be held in the more musically-appropriate Biltmore Theatre. But the real difference, Earle says, is the need this year's fundraiser is now meant to fill.

"We have seen growing demand across the country," Earle said. "Durham is no different."

The region's food banks are now reporting over 200,000 visits between 2020 and 2022, which Earle says is double what was reported before the pandemic. What's more, Feed the Need's 2023 "Hunger Report" found that a quarter of food bank users between April 2022 and March 2023 were new clients.

Earle says Feed the Need's fundraising goal for the holiday season, between Thanksgiving and New Year's, is a record $1 million, as the charity has had to increase its budget to keep pace with a larger clientele and higher grocery costs.

"We've seen an incredible shift in the organization since that first concert," Earle said.

"Right now, the need is really greater than any one organization can actually meet." 

But Earle says Feed the Need is keeping up with demand for now, and he hopes Sunday's concert will help push the charity through the holiday season.

Sunday's show at 2 p.m.  ET, will feature music from Crowe, the Doozies, New Moon Junction, Alicia Robicheau, Kalista Wilson, Hunter Sheridan and Kristine Dandavino.