Staggering food bank demand ‘not sustainable,’ says one supplier in N.B.

Food banks in New Brunswick are continuing to struggle in the face of growing demand, and it's prompting one supplier to call the situation unsustainable. 

Food banks in New Brunswick are continuing to struggle in the face of growing demand. It’s prompting one supplier to call the situation unsustainable.

Food Depot Alimentaire provides food banks with grocery items for its clients and is reporting a 42 per cent increase in demand between 2022 and 2023.

The executive director, Stephane Sirois, says the problem goes beyond finding the food.

“Food banks were never designed to service this level of demand,” he said. “They were set up over 40 years ago, and now it’s not just food: it’s the infrastructure, the volunteers, the staff, the human factor. It’s just stretched to the limit right now. And so it’s not sustainable.”

He says food banks need more volunteers and is repeating the call for government to do more to address the factors that lead to people needing to use these resources.

Over in Dieppe, N.B., Cameron Day has been working at Second Mile Food Bank for the past year and a half, helping out with marketing and stocking the shelves.

Personally, the 19-year-old has seen demand double since he started.

“It’s also very difficult to keep that food coming in. But luckily, we have sponsors to help us out in that part,” said Day. “But the building, unfortunately, is not big enough for capacity.”