Elliot Lake Emergency Food Bank to hand out Christmas bags

The traditional Christmas offering will look slightly different this Holiday season from the Elliot Lake Emergency Food Bank.

This year, officials decided to give out Christmas bags instead of a Christmas hamper to address the dramatic increase in the number of people who need help -- and in a bid to reach clients directly.

“The need has climbed every month,” said president Len Kutchaw.

“Our need started to climb at the start of the pandemic and in the last year, it’s really started to increase the number of new families, the number of large new families and a number of children that we feed every month. We used to average pre-pandemic 200 families a month, we’re now anywhere from 240 to 260. Our young children count in a month used to be around 45, we’re now in the 135, 140 children a month. So yes, it’s been a significant increase. It’s a bit scary.”

The traditional Christmas offering will look slightly different this Holiday season from the Elliot Lake Emergency Food Bank. This year, officials decided to give out Christmas bags instead of a Christmas hamper to address the dramatic increase in the number of people who need help -- and in a bid to reach clients directly. (Ian Campbell/CTV News))

Kutchaw said they made to move to focus on their clients, to make sure the ones they serve get Christmas dinner.

“We’ll exceed anything we’ve ever done in the five years that I’ve been on the board,” Kutchaw said.

“At the rate we’re going, it’s scary because at some point in time sourcing food product to keep and maintain a high standard of what we’re able to deliver is getting together all the time and more expensive.”

Volunteer Terry Aitcheson said he’s noticed an increase in the number of people in need of assistance.

“I was seeing the increase during the year of the numbers coming in and the ages, the families with little kids right behind them – it just sort of grinds at you,” Aitcheson said.

“I lived in London before I came here and what you don’t see here that you see in the bigger cities is the street people and the challenges there. Here, they’re more hidden, they’re a little looked after but they can hide in the bushes.”

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This week has been particularly bittersweet. The food bank was presented with a cheque for $35,000 from the sale of the Holy Trinity United Church.

The United Church was one of the six churches that founded the food bank more than 30 years ago.

For more information on how to help the Elliot Lake Emergency Food Bank, visit their website.