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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, A ug us t 4, 20 22 | 16 Crossword sudoku INTErMEdIATE ThIs wEEk's ANswErs Diversions ACROSS 1. Bar bills 5. Cagey 8. Shed 12. Disorder 13. Great distress 14. Without end 15. Resting 16. Out-of-date 18. Shooting stars 20. More inferior 21. Sketch ____ 22. Family rooms 23. Later 26. Cow's chew 27. In what manner? 30. Scorch 31. Cry 32. Dull-witted person 33. "____ Alibi" 34. Jolly 35. Sophocles, e.g. 36. Got bigger 38. Slapstick prop 39. Luster 41. TV faultfinders 45. Memo 47. Pass by 48. Previously owned 49. Coal measure 50. Soften 51. Flower plots 52. Heavens 53. Colored DOWN 1. Cut to size 2. General's man 3. Lightning flash 4. More inclined 5. Saber 6. Flings 7. Sure! 8. Cantaloupe, e.g. 9. Foot protection 10. Allows 11. Aspen, e.g. 17. Felt obligated 19. Rowing implement 22. Name 23. Volcanic residue 24. Fixed charge 25. Aimed 26. Shy 28. Verse work 29. Chinese chef's item 31. Toothed tool 32. Attired 34. Polite chap 35. ____ rummy 37. Enjoys a book 38. Bronze coin 39. Ignore 40. Fireman's need 41. Chef 42. Fine 43. Move upward 44. Went fast 46. Common contraction Crossword puzzle answers use American spelling It's already been an ex- pensive year to live in Can- ada, and it's expected to get worse heading into the fall. The country's inflation rate hit a 31-year high ear- lier this year, meaning we're paying more for ev- erything from gas to hous- ing to food. In Waterloo Re- gion, and across Canada, people need to choose be- tween paying rent or buy- ing food. These difficult decisions are reflected in the number of new house- holds accessing services and supports at The Food Bank of Waterloo Region. Between April and June 2022, we welcomed more than 1,120 new house- holds that have never be- fore needed to access food assistance. This repre- sents a 135.79 per cent in- crease over the same quar- ter in 2021. The Communi- ty Food Assistance Net- work, a system of 100+ community organizations providing food and sup- port to those in need, dis- tributed more than 30,000 hampers during that time frame, an eight per cent in- crease over April to June 2021. Since the start of 2022, we have seen a 65.95 per cent increase in new households accessing The Food Bank. These numbers and sto- ries show more residents are struggling to make ends meet. Costs have ris- en consistently since March, and a new report from Food Banks Canada says this will be the worst summer to date for Cana- dians as we continue to deal with high costs. The cost of food per pound re- cently reached $3.21. Near- ly 60 per cent of Canadians already struggle to feed their families, and 23 per cent say they're eating less than they believe they should because they don't have enough money for food. Unless there's some cost relief, that number will rise. We may not know what's going on in our neighbours' lives. That's why it's imperative we all help if we can now, so ser- vices will be available if we ever need them ourselves. Food and monetary dona- tions to The Food Bank are always greatly appreciated and go a long way to help provide much-needed items to our Community Food Assistance Network partners. If donations aren't a possibility, we're always looking for volun- teers to help with every- thing from food sorting and packing to working as brand ambassadors and helping out with deliver- ies. While we at The Food Bank are doing what we can to help combat food in- security, more needs to be done to address food inse- curity at a systemic level. While Ontario's minimum wage is set to increase to $15.50 an hour later this year, we'd like to see a liv- ing wage mandated in the province to help everyone earn what they need to pay all their bills. All levels of government must work to ensure access to afford- able housing, and provide funding and relief when needed. The Food Bank of Wa- terloo Region and its part- ners will continue to pro- vide food support to who- ever needs it. Many people feel shame and guilt if they can't afford to feed them- selves or their families. All of our partners work hard to make people feel wel- come and supported. As costs rise, we are here to help. Kim Wilhelm is the acting CEO of the Food Bank of Waterloo Region. LIVING HAS NEVER BEEN MORE EXPENSIVE OPINION IT'S TIME TO INCREASE SUPPORT AS COSTS SPIKE, WRITES KIM WILHELM KIM WILHELM Column VISIT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA TO LEARN ABOUT LOCAL PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR COMMUNITY