The Agape Centre is thrilled to now be a regular contributor in the Seaway News. For those of you who may not know, the Agape Centre is our area’s largest food bank and community kitchen. We are a full-time operation, open six days per week and serve over 3000 people monthly. Our team is committed to providing innovative programs and services for our most vulnerable citizens who struggle to meet their basic needs. This new forum will give us the opportunity to update statistics, connect with the community and provide insight on the realities of poverty in our own neighbourhoods. We look forward to giving readers a glance into what our team does to address poverty in our area.
Poverty and food insecurity are rampant in our community and across our country. According to Foodbanks Canada, there was a total of 1,935,911 visits to foodbanks in Canada in March 2023 representing a 32% increase, 33% of foodbank users are children and 1 in 6 people are employed. The Agape Centre has seen a staggering 150% increase in foodbank usage since March 2020. Continuing to meet the ever-increasing need for our services is thanks to the ongoing generosity of our supporters who believe in what we do each day.
