West Island Mission food bank in need of donations [Video]

Montreal-area food banks say they need help — demand is way up while budgets stayed the same.

Paul Elliott visits the West Island Mission in Dollard-des-Ormeaux about once a month for groceries. He lives on a fixed income and says the Mission is a necessity because “it’s not enough to sustain” him. 

Executive director Suzanne Scarrow says 35 per cent of the Mission’s clients are senior citizens living below the poverty line.

“We don’t have support from the government,” she says. 

The Mission is putting out a campaign as they approach ministers asking for funding through their discretionary budgets.

Like other area food banks, The Mission gets food donations from Moisson Montreal, but Scarrow says that’s only one line in the ledger. They also need cash donations to pay for day-to-day operations, and transporting the food is just one challenge.

“We’re still an organization serving 400 families. We have to turn the lights on. We have to pay our …