The St. Stephen Food Bank has seen increased use as the cost of living continues to strain household budgets. Volunteer Stan Oag said it exists to help people who don’t have enough food, a separate issue from homelessness or addiction.
“People come to the food bank because they’re hungry,” Oag said. “There’s not enough food and people are going without food so their kids can eat.”
The food bank relies almost entirely on community donations as only about 10 to 15 per cent of the necessary food comes from Feed NB, a government-funded non-profit organization that serves food banks in the province.
The Government of New Brunswick has recently provided an additional $9 million toward Feed NB. Oag said he is thankful but it does not go directly to local food banks.
He said in 2025, the food bank served 5,547 clients through about 3,200 visits. The demographics of those visits included 1,118 children and 416 seniors.
“If you look at that (number of children and seniors), they are growing and they’re becoming a higher percentage of the food bank visitors,” Oag said.
He said it’s heartbreaking that he can put faces and names to the numbers on a chart. Food is often seen as a last priority in household budgets, Oag explained.
“Sometimes food is the last thing to get paid for because they can’t afford to lose their power, they can’t afford to not pay their rent, and they have to go to work so they have to buy gas for their car,” Oag said. “To talk about food as an optional purchase is scary.”
He said the bank has been forced to reduce distribution days from three to two because it cannot afford enough food.
Emily Muir, the executive director of the St. Stephen Food Bank and the only other employee, Lori Damon, worked six weeks without pay during Christmas holidays in order to keep the food bank running, Oag said.
The system at the bank is never abused, according to Oag. He said they are not allowed to turn anyone down at the door and they never judge who needs food more than another.
He said there is a large part of the population that are just a few missed paycheques away from needing the food bank.
“When you actually look at your own life, it’s amazing how close we can all be,” he said.
Oag said the best way to support the food bank is through monthly donations, which can be done through the St. Stephen Food Bank’s website.
