Demand on food banks appears to have increased since the metro region shifted back to Alert Level 5.

Josh Smee, the CEO of Food First NL, says the Community Food Help Line, which connects people to food programs in their area, was formed when COVID struck. They’ve seen a spike in activity on the helpline in recent weeks.

Before the current wave, they were getting about 30 calls on a busy day, that’s now shot up to 100 calls a day, according to Smee. He says just from that they know the demand for support is high.

The Food Helpline is can be reached by calling (709) 703-4544 as well as via email: helpline@foodfirstnl.ca. It is also accessible through 211 (the United Way service) and through 811.

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