Use of the Chatham-Kent Salvation Army Food Bank is up even though the latest local unemployment rate numbers are down from last year.
Captain Stephanie Watkinson tells BlackburnNews.com there's a 21% increase because more families are using the food bank these days instead of individuals.
Watkinson says the need is still great and the food bank is still looking for donations.
"Just means to me there's fewer households coming but the households that are coming are larger. Normally, our main population is singles," says Watkinson. "We have a high percentage of single people attending the food bank but it appears to me we're getting more families in."
The latest unemployment numbers for Chatham-Kent show that the jobless rate nudged up by 0.4% in January 2017 to 6.4% -- down from 9% in January of 2016.
Watkinson says families are still struggling and need help with food and energy costs.
"Hydro and gas are now starting to be cut off because we're entering into the spring months," says Watkinson. "We're anticipating a high increase of people coming in for assistance for hydro now that their hydro can be cut off shortly."
Watkinson says the food bank is busy all year because of high energy costs in the winter and no school food programs in the summer.
"Usually it's an increase in both areas but to see an increase in only the number of people as opposed to a number of households, this is new and I think it's just a matter of families are still struggling," says Watkinson. "Even though there's lots of assistance out there and benefits are coming down to help them, they're still struggling with the cost of living."
