The Saanich Peninsula Lions Food Bank says this August, it is seeing its biggest need historically, and part of that need comes from families struggling to afford basics for school lunches.
"We're desperately low on school snacks, cereals, things to help kids with back to school," said Tyson Elder of the food bank.
"That's one of the things we've found this summer: a lot of people have been struggling with their kids at home over the summer, just keeping them fed and entertained."
To illustrate the growing need at the food bank, Elder highlighted that on one day in August, they helped almost 60 households. "There was one family of 15 that came in on that day, and it was the busiest day we've ever had at the food bank," he said.
Typically, they are used to helping 300 households in an entire month. In July, the food bank saw over 400 households and is on track to surpass that in August.
In April of this year, the Lions Food Bank was already seeing need "steadily growing," and things have only increased.
High numbers in the summer are a phenomenon, Elder said, pointing out that traditionally, summers are slower for donations and people accessing, in part due to the abundance of fresh produce around.
Elder said a confluence of factors could be to blame, including the impacts of tariffs, inflation and housing costs.
According to Statistics Canada's Consumer Price Index in July, prices for shelter rose 3 per cent year over year, rent was up 5 per cent and food prices 3.4 per cent. Canadians paid 27.1 per cent more for food than they did in July 2020.
"More and more people are struggling just to pay their rent, let alone feed their families or feed themselves," Elder said.
But the high numbers are still something he's "struggling to understand," he said.
The biggest challenge for the food bank is to keep food on the shelves, despite ordering weeks and months in advance.
"We quite often have half our orders not come because the warehouses we order from, they don't have the stock to get it to us. So we're not getting everything we're ordering."
They're also down volunteers, including drivers.
"We're just eternally grateful for this community and their support. But there's a lot of neighbours in our area who just need a little extra help," he said.
Those who would like to volunteer, donate, or learn more can visit https://splfoodbank.com.
