Despite a down year for its annual Thanksgiving food drive, the Inn of the Good Shepherd is hopeful some upcoming events will help offset the growing need.
The local charity brought in less than half of what it usually does during the annual fundraiser.
They were able to collect around 14,000 pounds of food over the three week campaign, which is down significantly.
Executive Director Myles Vanni said many people are feeling the pinch when it comes to food prices and inflation.
"That's translated into lower donations," said Vanni. "That's the double edged sword that we're seeing. Donations are down but also demand and usage of the food bank is up about 20 to 25 per cent. So, we're seeing more people needing help because they're feeling that squeeze in their food budget as well. They might have been making end's meet prior to the food increases but now it's just not enough to get by on and they're having to access the food bank or come more often. We're up to about 2,200 people every month, and we were used to seeing about 1,900 people."
Vanni said they're seeing folks who don't come to the food bank very often, or at all, now coming in regularly to get assistance.
"When you're on a disability pension that hasn't seen an increase in five years, since 2018, you're living on an 85 cent dollar and it's really tough to do that," said Vanni. "When add in not just those food costs and other living costs, but also rent increases and the cost of housing now, it's made it very difficult for folks."
Vanni said they continue to take donations anytime at local grocery stores and firehalls, or at the Inn's building at 115 John St.
"You can also make a financial contribution and that way we're able to shop for the things that we need the most, and the stores are usually really good at giving us deals," he said. "The most needed items are things like pasta, pasta sauce, jam, peanut butter, canned fruit, kids' lunch items, cereal, and side dishes like mashed potatoes."
The Inn of the Good Shepherd has a few more holiday fundraisers on the horizon.
They're working with Peavey Mart on a food drive, Great Lakes Secondary School is doing their annual chain of caring at the end of October, and the Sarnia Police Service's Cops for Cans campaign is on November 18.
You can visit www.theinnsarnia.ca for more information about the organization.