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Demand is increasing at the Kincardine Food Bank.

The agency is open every Thursday morning at the Anglican Church of the Messiah, Kincardine, to help those who need groceries for themselves and their families.

Food bank co-ordinators Nancy Dawson and Pat Stewart said the number of clients has increased with new added each month. And that figure does not indicate how many people are actually using the food bank.

For example, in January, the food bank was open four Thursdays, and saw 46 clients. This represented 27 families and 19 singles; those families included 50 adults and 38 children, for a total served of 107.

While that was actually down from the 131 in January of 2010, the need has risen sharply through the rest of 2011, said Stewart.

The number spiked in May at 77 clients (52 families and 25 singles); the families included 96 adults and 85 kids, for a total served of 206. The year before, that number was only 151.

September was also a busy month, but Stewart said that is to be expected because students return to school and families face more expenses than other months.

This year, September saw 83 clients (the highest all year, with 46 families and 37 singles); the families included  87 adults and 86 children, for a total served of 210. The year before, the number was 191.

And each month, the number of new clients has increased, running an average of five. To the end of November, there were 46 new clients for 2011, said Stewart.

To date this year, figures show a total of 1,750 served through the food bank, up from 1,672 in 2010.

The Kincardine Food Bank serves a large area, including as far south as Bruce County Road 86 (at Amberley), across to Lucknow, north to Holyrood and Bervie and across to Tiverton and Underwood.

Fortunately, there are many individuals, businesses and companies supporting the food bank, including Ontario Power Generation (OPG) which made a donation of $1,000 Thursday morning.

Plus, the food bank has a good contingent of volunteers who sort and stock the food, and help fill requests from clients. Currently, there are about 20 volunteers, with more on stand-by, said Dawson.

While the co-ordinators of the food bank appreciate all the items donated, they caution people to check the expiry dates on the food. If the product is past its expiry date, it can't be used at the food bank, for fear someone could get sick from it.

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Saturday, December 10, 2011