The purpose at the Moose Jaw & District Food Bank has always been simple: to end hunger in our community with dignity, compassion, and care.

Today, we are sharing an important and difficult update, one that reflects not only what we are experiencing here in Moose Jaw, but what is unfolding in communities across the country.

Over the past four years, the need in our community has grown at a pace we have never seen before. Visits to the food bank have increased by more than 150 percent. We are now seeing over 1,000 visits every month, and one third of the individuals we serve are children. Each month, more than 50 new households are reaching out for support for the first time.

This is not unique to Moose Jaw. Food banks across Canada are reporting similar trends. What we are experiencing locally is part of a much larger provincial and national issue.

This increase is being driven by sustained economic pressure on households across the country. The cost of living has risen sharply, particularly in food, housing, utilities, and transportation. At the same time, wages and income supports have not kept pace with these rising costs. Many individuals and families are finding that even when they are working or receiving assistance, their income no longer stretches far enough to cover basic needs.

We are seeing more seniors on fixed incomes, more working families, and more individuals who have never accessed a food bank before now needing support. For many, this is not a temporary situation, but an ongoing gap between income and the true cost of living.

While food banks have always been part of the community safety net, they were never designed to carry this level of demand long term. Across the country, community organizations are being asked to fill a growing gap that requires broader, systemic solutions.

These numbers are not just statistics. They represent people. Neighbours. Families. Children.

While the need continues to rise, the resources required to meet that need are not keeping pace. Monetary donations have decreased by approximately 20 percent compared to last year, and food donations have remained largely unchanged. At the same time, demand has continued to grow significantly.

When we look at this reality clearly, we are faced with a difficult truth. We can no longer sustain our current level of service in a way that meets the growing need.

This weighs heavily on us. We see firsthand how important these services are, and it is incredibly difficult to acknowledge that, despite our best efforts, our capacity is being stretched beyond what we can sustain.

In 2024, we faced similar challenges. With the support of our community, we made meaningful changes such as strengthening inventory controls, building new partnerships, and transitioning to a client choice shopping model. These efforts helped steady us for a time, but as need continues to rise at such a significant rate, these measures alone are no longer enough.

As a result, beginning April 1, we will be making adjustments to how our services are delivered. Food bank access will shift from two visits per month to one visit per month for all clients. We will also be adjusting food quantities to ensure sustainability and introducing simple verification steps such as confirming address and household size. These changes are not about limiting support, but about ensuring that we can continue to serve as many people as possible in a sustainable way.

We understand that these changes may feel difficult. Please know they are being made with careful consideration and with the goal of protecting these services for the long term.

At the same time, we want to express our deep and sincere gratitude to you, our supporters.

This organization exists because of this community. Our donors, partners, volunteers, and supporters have stood beside us through every challenge. Your generosity, your time, and your belief in this work, even in difficult economic times, are what make everything we do possible. Your continued support means everything to us.

We also believe this is a moment for collective advocacy.

We are calling on our community, and communities across the country, to engage with and push for a stronger, more meaningful response from all levels of government. The current supports in place are not aligned with the realities people are facing, and the burden placed on individuals, families, and community organizations has become unsustainable.

I will say this again, food banks were never meant to carry this level of responsibility, and we cannot continue to fill a growing gap that requires systemic solutions.

This is a time to stand up, speak out, and ensure that the voices of our communities are heard. The situation has reached a level that demands urgent and meaningful action.

We share this message not only to inform, but to invite understanding.

The need we are seeing here is real, and it is growing, but it is not ours alone. It is being felt across the country.

While our hands may feel tied in this moment, our commitment to this work and to the people we serve has not changed.

We will continue to do everything we can, with what we have, for as long as we can.

Thank you for your understanding, your patience, and for standing with us.