Food donations to the Ottawa Food Bank are so low it had to cancel volunteer sorting shifts
CTV
The Ottawa Food Bank says the amount of food donations it has received in recent weeks has been so low that it has had to cancel volunteer sorting shifts. There simply isn't enough food to sort.
The Ottawa Food Bank says the amount of food donations it has received in recent weeks has been so low that it has had to cancel volunteer sorting shifts. There simply isn't enough food to sort.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the food bank said the lack of donations is related to the high cost of food.
"We recognize this as a sign that high food prices are understandably impacting donor habits," the Food Bank said.
Ottawa Food Bank CEO Rachael Wilson said the lack of donations meant about half of their volunteer sorting shifts had to be cancelled.
"Most of our shelves are pretty empty, so we're spending so much money in order to make sure there's enough food in the community," Wilson tells CTV News Ottawa.
Grocery prices were up 8.5 per cent in July compared to the previous year, a slight slowing from June's year-over-year jump of 9.1 per cent. Experts have said there are numerous causes for the rising cost of food, from the decline in the Canadian dollar to extreme weather and climate change.
Wilson says everyone is feeling a pinch.
