More than 150 Cargill employees turn to the Guelph Food Bank as the strike enters its second month

The strike at a Cargill meatpacking plant in Guelph is now in its second month, leaving many workers in dire straits.

“We saw more than 150 Cargill employees come through our doors at our Crimea Street location and another 50 or so at our other eight locations,” said Carolyn McLeod McCarthy, general manager of the Guelph Food Bank.

The strike, which began in late May over wage disputes and working conditions, forced workers to make difficult choices.

“We don’t normally see that many at one time,” McLeod McCarthy told CTV News on Saturday. “So Monday we wrote in 25 in one morning, on top of everyone else, and yesterday we saw 67.”

The increase in demand is putting pressure on what McLeod McCarthy says is an already strained service.

“It’s a lot harder now, just because of the high cost of living. Guelph has a higher cost of living than a lot of other cities in Canada. So, you know, we’re seeing an influx and hopefully things stabilize.”

The food bank calls the number of recent registrations unprecedented.

“This month we’ve seen almost 3,700 (individuals), so that’s an increase of over 700 from January to now. It just keeps growing and we don’t really see an end in sight, so we’re doing what we can to help.”

McLeod McCarthy says they need the community’s support more than ever.

“We’ve been seeing new signups every day since the strike. Some of the big items are rice, pasta, pasta sauce, meat, canned meat, canned fruit,” she said.

The food bank is also looking for more financial donations to purchase food in bulk.

“Money goes way beyond food donations right now,” McLeod McCarthy says. “Of course we still want those food donations, but the money can help us buy the most essential items.”

Cargill said in an email to CTV News: “We are concerned about the impact this labor disruption has had on our employees and their families. Our focus is on ending this and welcoming our employees back to work. We look forward to meeting with the Union Bargaining Committee on July 2 to discuss the possibility of doing so.”

CTV News reached out to United Food and Commercial Workers Local 175, the union representing workers, for comment, but did not receive a response by deadline.

Donations can be made via the Guelph Food Bank website.

Food donations can be dropped off at the back door of their warehouse at Krimstraat 100 on weekdays between 9am and 4pm.