Being at Alert Level 5 for the second time has been a particularly challenging experience. There’s been an increase in demand for emergency food supports and food programs have run into barriers that make meeting that demand difficult.
There are a few reasons why these problems are heightened at the moment, and we thought we’d take the opportunity to offer some explanations for the extra challenges and point to resources for individuals that might be able to help in this difficult time.
Right now, people are having a particularly hard time accessing food, and there are a number of factors contributing to this.
Firstly, Alert Level 5 has led to business closures, which also leads to people being out of work, and this problem overwhelmingly affects low-wage workers. Loss of income directly impacts the ability to purchase food, which means people impacted by a dip in employment hours or job loss are experiencing higher levels of food insecurity.
On top of that, this is the usual time of year when food insecurity is exacerbated due to increase in other living expenses. Heat and light bills often skyrocket in winter, and folks on fixed or low incomes are left with less money for food.
When considering the fact that many people have lost work in the most recent lockdown and that bills are higher, it becomes clear why so many more folks are struggling.
Alert Level 5 has also been challenging for community food programs. Some programs have had to halt or slow operations because of human resources. Many community food programs run on the support of volunteers, and programs have been dealing with a volunteer shortage due to COVID-19 potential exposures and isolations, as well as the comfort level of some volunteers. Seniors who volunteer, for example, might not be comfortable leaving their bubble to volunteer, and this might also be the case for other people in higher risk categories.
Lack of volunteers puts a significant strain on program staff to get hampers filled, meals cooked, and deliveries completed. And, as we noted above, there’s been an increased demand for food supports, which further slows down operations.
Available Resources
There are resources available to help folks who need emergency food supports.
The Community Food Helpline, operated by Food First NL in partnership with the Jimmy Pratt Foundation, operates Monday to Friday from 9am-5pm. The Helpline can help folks navigate food programs in their area, as well as provide gift cards and arrange hamper and hot meal deliveries. The helpline can be reached by calling 211, or by calling the line directly at (709) 703-4544, or by emailing helpline@foodfirstnl.ca. A list of food programs throughout the province can be found here.
Note: the helpline team is extremely busy and is therefore working on a callbacks only basis. Leave a message with the staff and they will get back to you. At the moment, there could be a 4-5 business day waiting period for a callback as there is a very high volume of calls.
Folks can also reach out to United Way’s 211 service, which helps connect people with community services, including food services. 211 is available 24/7, 7 days a week.
If an individual is required by Public Health to self-isolate and they have no financial means or other supports to safely obtain food, they can call the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) at 1-800-863-6582, or by email covid19atlantic@Redcross.ca. Currently, the CRC call centre hours are 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday, and 10 am to 4 pm Saturday and Sunday. The CRC will complete an assessment of need, based on the requirement to self-isolate and ability to safely obtain food, and may make a referral to the Salvation Army (SA) for assistance with food. This is a contract with Gov NL for emergency social service
Note: this support with a food hamper or meals from the Salvation Army (as part of emergency social services) is different than the other food related supports provided by the Salvation Army in St. John’s. For example, individuals who are NOT required by public health to self-isolate may be availing of food supports directly from the Salvation Army food bank or meal program.
