As the winter chill settles across Northumberland County, the surge at local food banks tells a story that numbers alone can’t capture. This past weekend, volunteers at the Northumberland Fare Share Food Bank moved with practiced efficiency, distributing emergency food hampers to over 240 families – a 32% increase from the same weekend last year.
“We’re seeing faces we’ve never seen before,” explains Beth Wilson, who has coordinated the food bank’s weekend operations for six years. “Young families, seniors on fixed incomes, even people with full-time employment who just can’t stretch their paycheques anymore.”
Behind the food bank’s modest brick facade on King Street, the Saturday morning line began forming before 7:30 a.m., despite doors not opening until 9:00. By mid-afternoon Sunday, volunteers had distributed nearly 6,800 kilograms of food, depleting much of their pre-holiday reserve.
The timing couldn’t be more challenging. According to Statistics Canada’s latest Consumer Price Index, food prices across Ontario rose 5.3% in the past year, with staples like dairy, bread and fresh produce seeing even steeper increases. For communities like Cobourg and Port Hope, where seasonal employment fluctuates with tourism cycles, the early December squeeze has become particularly acute.
Northumberland MPP David Piccini visited the food bank Sunday afternoon, bringing donations and speaking with clients. “The provincial government recognizes the essential role food banks play in our communities,” Piccini said. “That’s why we’ve increased the Local Food Security Fund by $3.5 million this year.”
However, community organizers suggest more systemic approaches are needed. The Northumberland Coalition Against Poverty released findings last week indicating that average rental costs in the county have increased 24% over two years, while social assistance rates have remained largely stagnant.
“Food insecurity isn’t just about food,” explains Dr. Marion Wright from the Northumberland Community Health Centre. “It’s a symptom of broader affordability challenges – housing costs, transportation barriers, and wages that haven’t kept pace with inflation.”
The food bank’s cold storage room tells its own story. Once fully stocked with dairy products and proteins, now several shelves sit empty. Protein-rich foods remain the most requested and hardest to supply items, according to operations director Jason Crammer.
“Donations of canned tuna, peanut butter, and beans make an enormous difference,” Crammer notes while scanning inventory sheets. “Cash donations help too – we can purchase these items at wholesale prices.”
Local businesses have stepped up in creative ways. Three area grocery stores now offer pre-packed donation bags that shoppers can purchase and leave for food bank pickup. The Cobourg Collegiate Institute’s culinary program students prepared 80 frozen casseroles last week, while the Port Hope Rotary Club organized a weekend food drive that collected over 900 items.
Yet the weekend’s demand highlights a troubling trend. Food Banks Canada’s 2025 HungerCount report showed that rural communities are experiencing some of the fastest growth in food bank usage nationwide, with Northumberland County seeing a 28% year-over-year increase.
For those waiting in line, statistics matter less than immediate reality. Sarah, a single mother of two who requested her last name be withheld, began using the food bank three months ago after her rent increased by $350 monthly.
“I work full-time in healthcare,” she explains quietly. “I never imagined I’d need to use a food bank. But it was either this or not paying the heating bill.”
The food bank’s weekend volunteers – 34 in total across both days – represent a cross-section of Northumberland itself. Retired teachers work alongside high school students earning community service hours. Local faith communities provide a rotating team of drivers who deliver emergency hampers to homebound seniors and people with disabilities.
“The community support keeps us going,” Wilson says, directing a volunteer unloading donations from a local hockey team’s food drive. “But we need sustainable solutions. Food banks were never meant to be permanent institutions.”
As the county heads into the holiday season, food bank organizers have launched their annual Winter Sustain campaign, hoping to raise $75,000 and collect 22,000 kilograms of non-perishable food by year’s end.
“What we’re seeing this weekend isn’t just about Christmas approaching,” Crammer explains. “It’s about people making impossible choices between heating their homes, paying their rent, or feeding their families.”
For Northumberland County, the weekend’s food bank activity represents both community resilience and a stark reminder of growing inequalities that persist beneath the picturesque surface of this Lake Ontario region.
