Food is one of the most basic necessities of life, yet it is something that more and more Canadians and Nelson area residents are finding harder to afford.

A recent study by Food Banks Canada entitled HungerCount 2013 revealed that since the “Great Recession” hit in 2008, nearly 200,000 more Canadians are using food banks across the country.

And a study carried out by the Golden Food Bank Society calledFood Banks of the Columbia Basin 2012 showed that total food bank usage in the region grew by more than 1,000 people between 2008 and 2012.

In March of 2012 alone, the Nelson Food Cupboard and the Salvation Army Food Bank provided food to more than 1,600 people. A number both organizations say is higher than in the past.

Kim Charlesworth, coordinator of the Nelson Food Cupboard Society, says her organization has seen an increase in the number of clients in recent years amongst every group of people whom it serves.

“We have folks who are on fixed incomes, that may be pensioners or people on disability incomes,” Charlesworth says. “They simply are getting squeezed harder and harder.

“We also have folks who are the working poor. They have a job, but because rent costs, food costs, and school costs have climbed, their salaries aren’t able to cover them. There’s an increase in that group as well. Then there are people who are in transition, who have lost their jobs . . . We’ve seen an increase in all three of those groups for slightly different reasons, but they’re all related to the economy.”

Dave Sprague, coordinator at the Salvation Army Food Bank, says his organization has seen a similar increase in usage in recent years.

“We’ve had an increase in younger couples,” Sprague says. Some of them depend on seasonal work and they’re getting laid off earlier in the year. We’ve had a lot of first-time users coming in who haven’t accessed our services before.

“We’ve had more seniors come on board as well because the cost of living and taxes have increased. We’ve had to ramp it up to meet the needs of everybody.”

Community steps up to help meet demands

The good news is that both organizations have found the resources to continue providing their clients with food during this time.

“We’ve been able to keep pace through both increased donations and an increase in our grant funding due to the increased usage,” notes Charlesworth. “We’ve very fortunate to be in that position. But there’s no certainty that either of those will continue to increase.”

And while the Salvation Army Food Bank had to close its doors last year for a week due to a lack of resources, Sprague says the organization is now doing much better due to an increase in community support, including donations from many local businesses and individuals.

“We’ve had an increase in usage but we’ve been able to meet that demand because of the support,” he says.

Keep on giving

But both Charlesworth and Sprague say that continued and ongoing support is still vital for their organizations to continue serving the community.

“We are trying to let the public know that people are hungry all year-round,” Charlesworth says.

“If people can recognize that there’s not just the need for giving at Christmas, but also small monthly giving is important. It helps the food cupboard be more sustainable over the long term and lets us plan more effectively to serve our customers better.”

She added that there is a link on the Nelson Food Cupboard website where people can sign up to make a monthly donation to the organization.

“It’s super simple,” she notes. “You just need a credit card. You can do it anonymously or you can put your information in there.

Sprague said the Salvation Army currently has its annual Christmas Drive happening, with the Angel Tree at the Chahko Mika Mall and the donation bells on Baker Street.

“You can also come by and drop off food at the drop-in centre on Vernon Street,” he adds. “We have a lot of people who do that.”