Residents in Parkdale are pleading for government, private and public funding to help prevent a local food bank from closing its doors for good.
The St. Philips food bank, located at King Street and Cowan Avenue, will close its doors next month if it can't find new funding.
The operation has been funded by a local church for more than 20 years, but food bank officials say they can no longer afford the $2,000 a month to keep it open.
Closing the food bank could leave hundreds of needy families without meals. About 600 residents regularly drop by the centre.
"It's going to be tough," a food bank user named Shawn said on Tuesday during a rally outside the building.
MPP Cheri DiNovo says the community shouldn't have to depend on faith institutions to keep it going.
"I hope for action from the government, of course, but I actually believe in the action of the citizens," she said
Personal donations will keep the food bank open until Christmas.
The closest food bank is located a few kilometres west. Activists at St. Philips are concerned that some of the people they help are less able and visually impaired, so making a trip to the other location could be difficult. They also say the cost of transportation would be a financial burden for some.
A report on the United Way of Greater Toronto on Monday said almost one in three families in Toronto is living in poverty -- almost double the rate from 1990 levels.
To help out the St. Philip's food bank, visit this website.
With a report from CTV's MairiAnna Bachynsky
