Thunder Bay food bank use down, but challenges remain

A new report shows that food banks across the country including Thunder Bay have been a little less busy this year than they were in 2012.

But the numbers are still well above pre-recession levels, and those using the city's food banks still face challenges.

Nina Parkarri's doctors recently told her to stop working because of a heart condition, and she's been using food banks since July.

"There's a lot of food banks in town that cater to families only. You get turned away because you don't have children," she said."Then there's other ones that are dedicated to only certain wards ...So the choicesfor me have narrowed down completely."

A report from Food Banks Canada shows that although fewer Canadians are accessing food banks this year, the numbers are still more than 20% higher than in 2008.

Salvation Army community services directorRob Kerr says those high figuresmakes it hard to provide clients such as Parkkari with the help they need.

"We try to do whatever we can for anyone who comes through our doors," Kerr said. "We're part of a network, so the strain is on the whole network. It's not just us."

Parkkari saidvisiting a food bank in Thunder Bay still comes with a stigma.

"You hear negative comments, from by-passers, just saying, 'Ah, they went to the food bank again. I guess they couldn't get their butt off the couch to go find a job,'" she said.

Parkkari wishes the people who say those things could spend a day or a week in her shoes.

On December 6th CBC Thunder Bay will dedicate the day to encouraging donations to the Regional Food Distribution Association. Go tocbc.ca/thunderbayand look for the Sounds of the Season link for more details.