| durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, November 3, 2022 | 10 to approximately 1,500 to 2,000 folks each month." Rising food prices at grocery stores are having a big impact. "The clients are sharing with us they're struggling to make ends meet more than ever before, but even our staff and our volunteers and anyone we really talk to about the price of food and the cost of living agree that there are some extreme pressures that are coming down the pipe and people are finding it difficult to put food on the table." Food bank users at Simcoe Hall receive three to five days of food per visit and they can access the food bank once per month, so food bank items are a supplement to their monthly budget. "We can only provide the community with what we receive in donations," said Witlarge. "And at this time we've experienced a decline in donations, which is unfortunate but understandable given that fewer people have disposable income or sources of funding that they would be able to donate or offer up." That means that sometimes food baskets are less robust than Simcoe Hall staff and volunteers would hope, but Witlarge said the organization is doing its best. "What we found a couple of months ago is we were running extremely low on even those staple items like pasta and pasta sauce -- the things that come to mind when we think of donating to the food bank," she said, adding that the organization was able to purchase in bulk at reduce prices from grocery store partners. The situation at Simcoe Hall Settlement House is similar to what food banks and emergency food providers are experiencing across Durham, said Ben Earle, CEO of Feed the Need in Durham (FTN). Feed the Need distributes food to more than 60 member organizations, including the region's largest food banks such as Simcoe Hall, St. Paul's on-the-Hill in Pickering, Kendalwood Seventh-day Adventist Church in Whitby, Salvation Army locations across Durham and the Nourish and Develop Foundation in north Durham. "Across our network, we have definitely seen a significant rise in visits to food banks and we've also seen a rise in the number of people accessing food banks," said Earle. In September 2021, there were 9,500 visits to FTN member agencies, but that number rose to just shy of 14,000 this September, he said. Prior to the pandemic, there were 5,000 to 6,000 visits. Earle said people are using food banks more often as well. The average number of visits per person across FTN's network has jumped from six visits per year to eight. Meanwhile, the organization has seen a slowdown in donations. "I've been with Feed the Need for eight years, the end of this summer was the worst we've experienced ... we've never been that low," said Earle. He explained that Feed the Need considered purchasing staples that generally never run low, like pasta and pasta sauce, but the numbers showed that a large purchase would make a small dent in the need. Instead, he said, Feed the Need invests in picking up and distributing food. Earle said Durham is fortunate to have a large agriculture sector, as well as food warehousing and food processing, in the region and corporations and farmers willing to support local Feed the Need. The focus is on the logistics of getting food from those sites to member organizations, he explains. Still, he said, as people return to work post-pandemic, the return of office food drives, sports teams and groups like Scouts collecting food makes a difference. He said groups can help by donating either to Feed the Need or directly to their local food banks. Witlarge echoed Earle and said donations of any size are welcome, even if it's a couple of boxes of mac and cheese or a grocery gift card for a small amount. Both said they understand that rising prices means there's less left over for donations for many families. Simcoe Hall is now signing up clients for holiday hampers, and the organization will rely on donations over the holidays to tide them over into leaner months in 2023. "Every bit does count and it does accumulate and adds up and it can make a difference," said Witlarge. Beyond the current situation, Earle is an advocate for basic income and said working families pressured by inflation and housing costs will continue to suffer food insecurity without broad change. "Current income security programs are not really available to people who are working but aren't collecting a living wage." STORY BEHIND THE STORY: We reached out to folks who work to feed thousands of people in our community each month and found that they are seeing a large increase in clients as a result of rising food prices while donations have dropped for the same reason. NEWS Continued from page 1 MORE PEOPLE USING FOOD BANKS, COMING MORE OFTEN SCAN THE CODE to read more Durham news online. Emily Witlarge says while she understands why it's harder for families to donate to food banks these days, she encourages even small food donations, noting "it does accumulate and adds up and it can make a difference." Jason Liebregts/Metroland A 56-year-old man is dead following a stabbing inside a Pickering home on Friday, Nov. 4. This is Durham's 11th homicide of 2022. Police were called to a home on Rosebank Road at about 7 p.m. and found the victim inside suffering from stab wounds - police say he was stabbed multiple times. The victim was taken to a Toronto -area trauma centre where he was pronounced dead. A postmortem examination was to take place on Nov. 6. Durham police located a suspect in Toronto a short time later and made an arrest with the assistance of officers from Toronto Police Service. Police are not looking for any additional suspects. Seedjan Sulaiman Khail, 23, of Pickering has been charged with second degree murder and was held for bail hearing. Police have not provided any information on whether the victim and suspect are known to one another. Anyone with information about this homicide is asked to contact Detective Tyler French at 1-888-579- 1520 ext. 5421 or make an anonymous tip to Durham Regional Crime Stoppers at durhamregionalcrimes- toppers.ca or 1-800-222- 8477. CRIME 56-YEAR-OLD MAN DEAD AFTER STABBING AT PICKERING HOME