Centretown Emergency Food Centre struggling to meet high demand this holiday season

Centretown Emergency Food Centre Ottawa (CCFC) is calling on the community to donate this holiday season as the organization struggles to meet soaring demand.

With a sharp rise in people facing food insecurity, organizations locally and nationwide are noticing Canadians are feeling economic pressures that have come with the rising cost of living, wrote a representative of the Centre Emergency Food Centre in Ottawa.

According to the centre, March 2024 marked the highest food bank usage in history, with over two million visits across Canada.

“Centretown Emergency Food Centre Ottawa is at the frontline, with usage in Ontario soaring by 116.8 per cent since 2019,” wrote Dennis Hansen, Manager at Centretown Community Food Centre, in an email.

To help combat the need, the organization joined forces with the Loblaw Feed More Families™ Food Drive.

It is calling for donations of non-perishable food items including:

• Canned meat and fish 
• Canned vegetables 
• Nut butters 
• Low-sugar canned fruit 
• Whole-grain foods (e.g. oatmeal, brown rice, barley) 
• Alternative milks (e.g. powdered milk, almond milk, rice milk) 

Additionally, essentials like toothpaste, toothbrushes, and toilet paper are needed to meet the growing demand in Ottawa.

The emergency food centre notes donations can be dropped off at the loading dock on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. or Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon.

“This year, we’re serving 50 per cent more clients than last year, reflecting the unprecedented rise in demand for food bank services in Ottawa. With rising grocery prices and reduced support from the Ottawa Food Bank, it’s more challenging than ever to meet the growing needs of our community,” wrote Hansen.

Based on the HungerCount 2024 report from Food Banks Canada, there were over two million visits per month to food banks across Canada, compared with an estimated one million visits per month, measured five years ago. Children accounted for nearly 700,000 of these monthly visits, data shows.

The organization relates this increase in demand to inflationary pressures rising since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Loblaw Companies Ltd. Feed More Families™ Food Drive is running between Nov. 28 and Dec. 24, across Canada.

“Every donation, no matter the size, helps bring relief and care to those facing tough times. Financial contributions are also greatly appreciated and can be made directly through our website,” Hansen said.

Those interested in contributing can make a cash donation at the checkout of any store where President’s Choice products are sold — such as Loblaws — or by donating food items in the bin at the front of the store.

Each store teams up with a participating food bank and 100 per cent of donations are passed along to that local food bank. Loblaws will match the first $100,000 of cash gifts collected through this campaign.