A volunteer shortage has been added to the constantly growing list of shortages across the country.

President and CEO of Volunteer Canada, Megan Conway, says there are a number of reasons why they are seeing shortages when it comes to volunteering, with the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising cost of living among the top.

Conway explains that many are finding themselves reprioritizing what’s most important or picking up second jobs to make ends meet and haven’t found their way back to volunteering in the way Canadians were prior to the pandemic.

Some front line services have had to close because they don’t have enough volunteers.

She says food banks, shelters and Meals on Wheels programs have to re-think how they’re allocating the volunteers they do have to meet the most essential needs in their communities. She’s also hearing from youth-serving organizations with mentorship programs that have two-year waitlists.

Conway calls it a complex problem that’s emerging. She says approximately 67 per cent of organizations surveyed by Stats Canada in November of 2022 indicated that they were having a difficult time recruiting volunteers.

She says of those surveyed, 35 per cent of organizations had to make a reduction to their services.