Hello Families!Our first Food Drive of the year, here at Breslau Public School is starting today! It will run from Monday, September 26th until Friday, October 7th. We’ll be collecting boxed items rather than canned goods.

Kim Wilhelm, vice president of Philanthropy and Partnerships at the Food Bank of Waterloo, said this past summer has been “difficult” for the food bank. She expects the need for food assistance will continue throughout the rest of the year. “Now that kids are back to school and the weather is starting to turn, we expect that we’re going to see an increase,” said Wilhelm on The Mike Farwell Show on CityNews 570 on Tuesday.

One of the biggest trends in the Waterloo Region is the spike of first-time food assistance users; an increase of 135 percent just in the last quarter compared to last year. There has also been an increase of 44 percent in food bank usage among those who are employed across the province.