The School Lunch Program, which provides hot lunches to children in 41 schools across the province, is feeling the pinch due to inflation.

Not only has inflation affected the cost of buying food, but it’s affecting what families can pay for the service.

School Lunch offers parents and guardians a “pay-what-you-can” model, but over the last year, the number of people who—for a variety of reasons—are opting not to pay, has increased dramatically according to executive director John Finn.

Last October, School Lunch served approximately 800 meals for free; this October that number was up around 1,900, among the 6,500 meals they serve daily.