Strangled by inflation, labor shortages, rising food prices and gas costs, food banks fear they will no longer be able to adequately support the people they serve.
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“I now have to manage like a fast food says Gilles Dufour, General Manager of Moisson Mitis, located in Bas-Saint-Laurent.
His organization recently had to deal with the departure of two of its four employees and dozens of new requests for food aid. The remaining animators, who work at the organization part-time, must therefore work in the warehouse.
“Before the pandemic, we had 15 collective kitchen groups and a soup kitchen. We stopped that. We will not be able to resume these activities with the team in place, ”laments Mr. Dufour.
Food banks in Quebec have seen an increase of between 50 and 60% in the number of their users since 2019.
At Moisson Outaouais, demand is so high that the team has grown from 8 to 16 employees since 2018. But 10% of positions are still to be filled.
“We had to redo job offers three or four times because we had no one to hire,” says Armand Kayolo, executive director of the organization.
Martin Munger, General Manager of Food Banks of Quebec, confirms that salaries are not competitive and that employees have been offered positions with 30% higher pay.
The drivers of Moisson Rive-Sud, in Longueuil, “were even approached in Tim Hortons parking lots by companies,” says its general manager, Dany Hétu.
Always more expensive
Food banks, whose business model is based in part on collection in supermarkets, are also greatly affected by the rise in gas prices.
“We wonder whether we will continue to go further in our territories,” says the general manager of Moisson Beauce, Marie Champagne.
Some foods, such as meat, are scarcer when picked up, as grocery stores find ways to sell it at a low price or process it.
Moisson Outaouais alone must pay $20,000 per month in meat to make up for the shortfall.
“A year ago, that didn’t exist, we could be self-sufficient with what we received from our recovery program in the supermarket,” says Mr. Kayolo.
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Reference-www.journaldemontreal.com