Feed NB provides to 67 food banks and community kitchens across New Brunswick.

It received $1.5 million from the province this week.

“More people are needing food assistance, and their prices are still going up. Everybody feels the pain when we go to the grocery store.  Prices are still going up, and everything gets more expensive, so we need more support to purchase food. What we buy accounts for around a third of what we distribute. We get a lot of food from donations and food recovery. So what we buy, we try to focus on the fresh, including fresh produce, eggs and cheese and dairy. We don’t want families visiting food banks and having to eat canned soup and Kraft Dinner seven days a week. So with this funding, we try to purchase healthy fresh produce,” says Executive Director Stephane Sirois.

He adds that in the last three years, demand has risen by 140 per cent, but each region is different.

“Monthly, some food banks will see 2000 or 3000 people, while others in smaller regions might see less. In Moncton, the Peter McKee Community Food Centre will probably see 300 families, individuals every day. So it’s definitely an ongoing demand. I would assume that it’s probably rising,  and the price of food is rising. Everything we purchase is getting a lot more expensive. So we try to maintain the same volume of food that goes out, but it’s getting very challenging,” Sirois stressed.

He also pointed out that Feed NB is still projecting a shortfall, even with the extra funding. He told our newsroom, it brings their confirmed food purchasing budget to $4.5 million.

“We’re on track to spend between $5 million and $6 million. We don’t want to reduce the amount of food we send to the food banks, so we’re trying to figure out how we’re going to compensate for this shortfall. We’re talking to distributors, other corporate partners to help us out, either with food donation, or financial contribution, but there will still be a significant shortfall in our food purchasing budget,” Sirois stated.

He is thrilled that the government has stepped in to help, but they are continuing to have discussions about next year and long-term funding.

“If we know in advance what funding we have, we’re in a better position. We can negotiate with distributors and local farmers, and we can make deals. We can get better pricing. So we are more in reaction modes, and then with funding, confirmed it puts us in a better position to maximize every dollar,” Sirois says.

Feed NB was previously known as Food Depot Alimentaire, but Sirois says they recently underwent a brand refresh with a new name and look that better represents exactly what they do in the province. He says they do a lot more than just distribute food. They advocate for change while supporting agencies that work in food security, and they also support school food programs.