New survey, online tool to track P.E.I.'s rural food security, as pantry use grows

Food insecurity on P.E.I. was on the rise before the COVID-19 pandemic, and it's showing no sign of stopping.

According to a new tool released by Community Food Centres Canada, 29 per cent, or almost one-third of all Islanders are currently living in food insecurity.

"This is the highest rate of food insecurity across all provinces. The national average is only 23 per cent," said Anthony Musiwa, senior policy adviser at Community Food Centres Canada.

Statistics Canada also calculated that the Island had the highest food insecurity in 2019, 2020 and 2022.

The problem isn't just in cities. Even more people in rural areas are struggling to get enough to eat.

"In P.E.I., what jumps out, especially in the past few years, has been high unemployment rates and also against the backdrop of COVID-19 and the impacts of COVID-19," Musiwa said.

Bonnie Shave, who runs the community pantry in Orwell Cove, is well aware of the growing issue.

"It's a little discouraging to see our community need this service so desperately," she said. "Hopefully we'll see a day where we no longer need this little building here, but until then we're more than happy to help in any way that we can."

The pantry started up about two years ago, and Shave said the number of people using it has at least tripled since then.

"It is concerning to know that our neighbours, our friends, our community are struggling financially," she said.

When the pantry first started up, Shave used to check in about once a week to make sure the shelves were stocked. Now, it's nearly every day.

"There are times when it's stocked really well and then two hours later someone will call or message me saying the pantry is really empty," she said. "It's just a sign of the times."

Shave said it's not always the same people accessing the fridge every day. Increasingly, there are Islanders in a difficult situation who aren't able to put food on the table at home.

"A lot of, you know, hard working everyday people that are just having a little difficulty this month. So I think we're seeing an increase in one-time and first-time users," she said.