More baskets must be filled to keep up with the rise in food-bank use

Nicolas Carpentier

December, 2010

Despite the rumours of economic recovery that have been heard in the past few months, Sun Youth Organization would like to remind everyone that about 18,000 people will be at its doorstep between December 18 and 24 to obtain provisions for the holidays. They will also be offered new toys for their children.

This huge operation relies on the generosity of donors. Companies and the general public can take part in the Holiday Symphony and give generously, whether it is food or funds, to help the organization deal with the demand during this most crucial time of the year.

Donations collected during the holidays are not only used to supply the Christmas basket campaign. The first three months of the year represent an extremely busy time for Sun Youth and the need is as great, if not greater than those of December. Sun Youth invites families in need to come to its headquarters to register for a Christmas basket from Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm, with proof of residence, proof of income and identification cards for everyone in the household.

More than 2,000 families receive assistance every month from the emergency food bank.

Members of the Gurudwara Sahib Greater Montreal Sikh Temple in D.D.O. donated about 10,000 non-perishable food items to the Sun Youth food bank. Photo: Nicolas Carpentier

A recent study by Food Banks Canada indicated that over the last two years, food bank use in Canada has risen by 28 per cent.

In Montreal, there has been a 22-per-cent increase in demand since 2009. The number of children using food banks has gone up 35 per cent.

Meanwhile, donors are still affected by the financial uncertainty that persists for many of them. Many major supporters of Sun Youth have decreased their annual financial contribution and some have decided to delay their support until their situation improves.

“We have to work harder and harder to receive the financial support that we require to assist the many people knocking at our doors,” says Tommy Kulczyk of Sun Youth.

“We had to establish new partnerships to ensure that we get the proper funding to help all those in need. The last two years have been very hard for our organization but we are confident that things will get better in 2011, for us, for our donors and for our clientele as well.”

If you would like to organize a food drive or collection, contact Sun Youth at 514-842-6822 for information and to obtain posters and money banks. Donations can be brought to 4251 St. Urbain and pickups can be arranged for larger donations.