Salvation Army Corner Brook Demand Rises as Food Costs Climb, Donations Fall

The Salvation Army released a report last week stating that one in three Atlantic Canadians are skipping meals or eating less because they cannot afford groceries. The report puts the figure at a 13 percent increase over last year.

Wendy Woodland, the Army’s Divisional Secretary for Public Relations in the Atlantic Division, said Community Family Services in Corner Brook is seeing rising demand, particularly for its Friendship Meal, held each Tuesday at the church. She said 80 to 90 people attend every week.

Woodland said the program has grown over the past several years and has become an anchor for the Salvation Army church in Corner Brook. She said food affordability is at the top of the list for people in need, but that there is also a constant need for clothing, financial help, food banks, community meals, disaster relief and housing. Feeding people who arrive hungry each week, she said, is part of the work the church carries on (Matthew 25:35).

Woodland said rising living costs mean that an unexpected expense can upset a household’s entire budget. For many people, she said, disposable income does not exist, and the Salvation Army is there to help.

Woodland also said that because costs are rising for everyone, donations are falling. She cited a decline in monetary donations from 79 to 75 percent.

The Salvation Army’s Christmas kettle campaign begins this week in Corner Brook, with a target of $105,000 for this year.

Source: Read the original report