Food banks seeing more seniors as prices continue to climb

Kim Cummins, program director at the Shelbourne Community Kitchen stocking the shelves at the food bank.

Kim Cummins, the program director at the Shelbourne Community Kitchen in Saanich, is among many witnessing an alarming trend.

“We’ve definitely had a lot of new seniors coming and registering for the first time,” said Cummins.

Last year, the small food bank registered 280 new clients.

“19 per cent of them were seniors,” said Cummins. Those on a fixed income, trying to survive as the cost of almost everything goes up.

The program director says one story in particular has stuck with her, from a senior who visited the food bank for the first time a few weeks back.

“She let me know that she had to sacrifice two of the medications that she normally takes, just to be able to pay for her fixed expenses,” said Cummins.

The Mustard Seed says it too has seen an increase in seniors coming to its food bank in order to make ends meet.

Isobel Mckenzie is BC’s seniors advocate. She says seniors are caught between a rock and a hard place.

“What we have to remember about seniors is that they have to lowest incomes out of any age cohort,” said Mckenzie.

She says about six to eight per cent of the province’s labour force works for minimum wage, while 45 per cent of seniors live on an income of less than minimum wage in this province.

“The other complexity is the costs of aging that are not covered by our healthcare system,” said the seniors advocate.

Costs such as eye glasses, hearing aids and mobility devices.

“None of that is covered in British Columbia by any program,” said Mckenzie.

The cost crunch is affecting seniors province-wide. Too many are having to make some hard choices when it come to what to do without.

“We have to either pay our rent or go without food,” said one women at the Chilliwack Salvation Army.

”I’m 69 years old, I should be secure and stable in life,” said another man.

Sheila Malcolmson, the Minister of Poverty Reduction, admits times are tough for everyone right now.

“We increased the seniors supplement,” said Malcolmson. “We increased access to the safer grant, that’s for low income renters who are seniors.”

She says that is why her government has recently invested $49 million into food security alone among other measures directed toward seniors.

Meanwhile back at the Shelbourne Community Kitchen, their numbers are becoming worrisome.

More seniors are coming to them for the first time for help, and ones that have been to the food bank before are now coming in more often.

“We really work to reduce that stigma that surrounds accessing food,” said Cummins. “We’re all in it together and it’s a hard time for so many people.”