Thunder Bay food banks starving for donations

Thunder Bay-area food bank officials say a shortage of donations has left their shelves nearly empty this summer.

Donations normally go down in the summer, but a couple of other factors have contributed to the more noticeable decline in contributions this year.

"Flood relief has taken attention away from the general giving and it's totally understandable," said Volker Kromm, who runs the Regional Food Distribution Association for northwestern Ontario.

Thunder Bay residents have given generously to peoplestrugglingsince the springs disastrous flooding, "but there are a lot of other people on the fringe and in the region that don't benefit," he said.

The association supplies more than 30 food banks and feeding programsin the Northwest.

Kromm added another contributing factorto the decline in donations has been the closure oftwo Zellers stores in the citythat "contributed faithfully for the last number of years."

'Never had it this low'

Even12-year-old Connor MacLeod who asks his friends for food bank donations instead of presents at his birthday parties each yearnoticed the barrenwarehouse at Thunder Bay's regional food distribution centre.

MacLeodsaid he was surprised when he dropped off his contributions.

"Last year there was piles and piles," MacLeod said. "You could barely get through the alleyways. There was tons of food, but this year there's barely any."

Kromm agreed.

"Quite frankly, we have never had it this low," he said.

Warehouse volunteer Brian Scoging said normally, palettes of foodwould be stacked "full on both sides ...Now it's bare."

Kromm noted financial contributions are most helpful,becausethe food distribution associationcan use the money to buyin bulk. But donations of foodare also gratefully accepted, he added.

"Typically in the summertime there is a dip [in donations]. People aren't thinking about [the food banks],"Kromm said.

"[People] are on vacation [and] they're out of town. Other things are going on in their lives. This time of year our food supplies dwindle [but] the need doesn't change."