(Photo: courtesy office of MP Ginette Petitpas Taylor)

More people are relying on food banks as a result of rising costs.

Executive Director of Food Depot Alimentaire Stephane Sirois says they’re seeing the highest number ever for 2022, “All of our food banks are seeing an increase this year of over 30 per cent. That means there are between 25, 000 and 30, 000 monthly visits to food banks across the province.”

Sirois says there are more elderly individuals who are now relying on the food banks, “We see a lot more seniors and it’s not a poverty issue. They could have been well off or doing quite well a year or two ago and now everything has gone up and you are tipped over the edge and just need some help.”

These are the highest numbers they have ever seen across the country for food bank visits.

Increases started at the beginning of 2022 and peaked during the summer and Sirois says numbers are starting to creep up again.

“The holiday period is coming and with even more increases expected, and we can’t say when numbers will decrease,” Sirois says.

The Food Depot Alimentaire currently oversees 64 food banks and community kitchens in New Brunswick.

Donations for food banks are also down 80 percent and the Food Depot Alimentaire is spending ten times more to buy the food to supply to those in need.