Despite some food contributions that Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids receives, the organization still spends more than a million dollars annually on supplying wholesome lunches.
“We know that gas prices, utility prices, food prices, housing costs, all of those things are up and that just creates a lot of pressure on families,” said Bethany Ross, the organization’s executive director, during an interview at its kitchen in downtown Calgary.
As spiking interest rates and inflation raise affordability concerns for both Canadian families and small businesses, the charitable sector is facing a future of uncertainty in terms of costs and donations.
The charitable fundraising website, CanadaHelps, reportedly raised roughly $450 million in 2021, a 2% decrease from the year before, marking the first yearly decline in donations in its 22-year history.
For the Southern Alberta chapter of Habitat for Humanity, the significant change in the price of building materials over the past two years has been a challenge. To get by, it has looked for less expensive options for flooring and tiling, among other things.
