Going into the holiday season, many Canadian charities report an increased demand for their services, but higher costs and shrinking donations in 2022 have created a perfect storm. Canadians struggling to make ends meet have had to cut back on making charitable contributions, creating economic strain and challenges for those organizations that rely on donations to survive.
The Salvation Army reports that fundraising has dipped about 20 percent this year, and many of its sponsors and volunteers have apologized, but explained that they must put their own families first during these challenging and uncertain economic times.
Feed Ontario has seen a 24 percent increase in the number of people needing to use a food bank compared to last year, mostly because of higher food and housing costs in 2022. Records show that the nonprofit served an average of 100 to 150 meals per day in the summer of 2021, and now averages between 400 and 500 meals per day.
Canadian Feed the Children online donations have also fallen 15 percent compared to last year. An Ipsos poll revealed that 30 percent of Canadians said they will spend less on gifts than they have previously, and 45 percent expressed concern about affording presents for loved ones at all.
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