While newly released public data shows increased food bank use in New Brunswick, some charities are skeptical it will lead to more provincial funding.
In partnership with Feed NB, the Human Development Council has launched a dashboard showing near-real-time food bank and community kitchen use across the province. The dashboard launched three weeks ago.
It uses data from Link2Feed, software used by food banks and community kitchens to collect client information.
The dashboard shows near-real-time data starting in September 2022, including household type, age, gender, immigration status and total services provided, among other metrics.
In an interview with Acadia Broadcasting on March 26, HDC data scientist Liam Fisher said the organization launched the dashboard to highlight food bank use in the province, make data more accessible to the public and support food banks’ advocacy efforts.
“We know how important good-quality data is for advocacy, and I think the dashboard helps paint the picture of just how significant the level of service food banks are providing,” he said.
According to Fisher, key takeaways from the dashboard include a more than 50 per cent increase in services provided over the past three years and increased food bank use among newcomers and households with employment income.
“Roughly 27,000 individuals are served food boxes in a given month — that’s a lot of people,” he said. “That’s pretty close to the size of the Kennebecasis Valley.”
Fisher said the dashboard will help New Brunswickers and organizations better understand the level of support food banks provide across the province.
Charities welcome new data but remain skeptical of government funding
In an interview with Acadia Broadcasting on April 7, Christine Taylor, executive director of the Peter McKee Community Centre, said the centre welcomes the dashboard.
She said having data more easily available will help when applying for grants and seeking donations.
However, Taylor said she is not convinced the data will persuade the government to provide additional funding to charities.
“We continue to try to write grants and things, and it’s just . . . we feel like we’re kind of on our own,” she said.
In addition to food bank services, the centre offers other community programs, including a community garden, a boardroom and educational programming.
According to the dashboard, the centre is the most visited food bank in the Moncton area, serving food boxes to more than 4,000 individuals and nearly 1,500 households.
Taylor said the centre also shares food donations with other charities in the area, including food kitchen Ray of Hope Needy Kitchen, and homeless shelter House of Nazareth.
She said the centre has struggled to keep up with demand over the past four years, particularly as more newcomers move to Moncton and affordability issues force people who have never used a food bank to rely on one.
Taylor said while the centre has been able to meet demand, operational costs remain one of its biggest challenges, as it must also compete with other charities for funding.
“Often people will come and donate food — they’ll go buy groceries and donate, and we love that,” she said. “But we also need people to remember that we need a building to provide the service.”
Taylor said, like other organizations in the area, the centre is not exempt from paying property taxes or utility bills.
With the government facing record deficits, she said that makes her less confident about receiving additional government funding.
Despite increased pressure over the past four years, Taylor said the centre will continue raising funds to help people.
“We’re just going to keep moving forward, and we will always be here,” she said. “Whether the government steps up or they don’t, we’re in it because we want to help people.”
In an email statement, Department of Health spokesperson Tara Chislett said the department is reviewing the data available through the new dashboard but said it is “too soon” to know how the information could affect future funding decisions.
