The ongoing Canada Post strike is threatening to disrupt critical holiday fundraising efforts for food banks across Ontario.
Institutions like the Cambridge Food Bank and Food Banks Mississauga are concerned about the potential shortfall in donations, as postal workers across Canada halt operations to demand fairer wages and better working conditions.
The Cambridge Food Bank is experiencing the highest demand in its 39-year history, and its largest annual fundraiser, which is driven largely by mail-in donations, is at a stand-still.
“Unfortunately, we were just 24 hours too late in getting the letters out to our donors,” said Dianne McLeod, CEO of the Cambridge Food Bank
“We rely heavily on the donations generated by our sponsorship letters to sustain year-round programs.”
Last month, the Cambridge Food Bank supported more than 2,000 families — a 21 per cent increase from the same period last year, McLeod said. The organization relies heavily on December donations, which often arrive by mail as a cheque.
Although the organization has contingency funds available in case donations fall short, McLeod says they can only sustain the food bank for “so long.”
‘Incredibly challenging blow’
The challenge is echoed by food banks across the province, including the central food bank for the city of Mississauga, which serves between 18,000 and 20,000 people each month.
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“Last December, 33 per cent of our donations came by mail, totalling over $880,000,” said Meghan Nicholls, CEO of Food Banks Mississauga.
The organization was expecting to receive the same amount of donations, or even more, through mail this holiday season as well.
“It’s an incredibly challenging blow,” Nicholls said.
Just last week, the Mississauga city council declared food insecurity an emergency as it saw the fastest-rising food bank use in the province.
“With the food insecurity emergency growing, and the need for support being so high, the potential of not receiving such an incredible amount of money at this time is a real cause for concern for us,” Nicholls said.
Food Banks Canada also confirmed the nationwide impact of the strike, stating that they “are aware of the postal disruption and have heard from other food banks that it is disrupting services across the country during this critical time.”
More than 55,000 Canada Post workers went on strike Friday. The Crown corporation and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers are holding talks this week with a special mediator, appointed by the federal government.
A Canada Post spokesperson told The Canadian Press on Tuesday that the two sides were able to make “some progress” on smaller issues, but “there’s still a lot of ground to cover.”
While both food banks say they support postal workers’ right to fair wages, recognizing that their fight can help alleviate food insecurity among employed people, they are urging people to use alternative methods such as e-transfer to send in donations.
“We need the community’s help now more than ever,” McLeod said.
