Allan Gardens Food Bank struggling

By Laura Hull –

The Allan Gardens Food Bank is an important service, provid­ing good food to many people. Every Thursday and Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., people line up in front of St. Luke’s United Church on Sherbourne Street to receive a variety of fruits, vege­tables, dairy, bread, cereals and canned foods.

Volunteer Kayla Blackman is in charge of managing the out­side line. “I control the flow of people, deal with conflicts, and answer questions. Because I’m outside I am the face of the food bank, so I get a lot of feedback,” she said. “It’s generally posi­tive.”

Paul Uytenbogaart, a retired volunteer director at the food bank, says “we have about 600-700 people a day, normally, We’re always very busy.”

Uytenbogaart and Blackman both said the bank is stretched thin and has never been in more demand. “Some people have been coming here for years, and they tell me they’ve never seen it so busy,” said Blackman.

“We’d like to have sufficient funding from the city, because it’s getting to the point where it’s not sustainable. We can’t keep this up,” said Uytenbo­gaart. “One week it’s 700 peo­ple, the next it’s 1000. We need money, from whatever level of government,” he added.

A lot of people who use food banks have jobs, are housed or are students. Blackman said the high cost of living, especially the rent crisis, makes people who otherwise wouldn’t need a food bank to turn to them.

The Allan Gardens bank is part of the Daily Bread Food Bank network, which runs more than 100 food banks throughout the city. Different banks have different rules, but you can go to a Daily Bread food bank only once a week. To keep track, everyone must register before they can get food.

Uytenbogaart said the organi­sation works hard to make sure that people can choose from all the food groups. “We get food from Daily Bread and Second Harvest. If we find that we don’t have enough of something else, say yogurt, we go out and buy it,” he said.

Estella, who has lived in Cab­bagetown for 29 years, started using the food bank after the pandemic. “I can’t complain, because I live alone. So I have it easy with food,” she said. “The food bank provides what I need every two weeks, and I get good food like fruits, vegetables and milk.”

“It’s harder for people like my daughter, who has kids, and who needs more food than me. What I don’t eat I give to her,” she added. “She would need to be able to come here more than once a week.”

Rocio and Camila, two friends in line with Estella, both said they like the variety that the Allan Gardens Food Bank provides. “It’s all healthy and good quality, and I like that I get fresh fruit and vegetables, not just canned stuff,” said Camila.

Fresh food is one of the bank’s biggest draws, as others provide only non-perishable food. “I live near Runnymede, and there is a food bank there, but the food isn’t as good,” Rocio said. “I prefer to come here and wait in line to get fresh food and milk.”

But it still isn’t enough. “Sometimes I still have to go to the grocery store to get other things I need, but at least I get to save by coming here,” said Camila.

The Allan Gardens Food Bank is across from Allan Gar­dens in the heart of the Garden District. The neighbourhood is experiencing a food desert, with affordable grocery stores disappearing as more upscale developments move in. The bank is not funded by any lev­el of government, relying solely on private donors and corporate partnerships.

All food banks run by the Daily Bread network are strug­gling. The CBC reported earlier this year that Daily Bread is in a crisis, and will not be able to continue its vital services if the province doesn’t help.

“It’s frustrating that social se­curity or government assistance doesn’t cover the cost of living. People on ODSP or welfare can’t afford food,” Blackman said. “That [food banks] have to exist is the real issue.”