The rising cost of living and the need to travel outside the village for groceries is leaving more people in Dorchester, New Brunswick hungry, said Moving Forward volunteer Wendy Keats, who is launching a food hub project.

“We started a community fridge about a year and a half ago. At first, we had about 30 people using it, within a year it was over 80, and the needs have just continued to grow,” Keats told Global News CA.

The province of New Brunswick has the second highest food insecurity rate in Canada, which made Moving Forward open a food hub to help people reduce food waste, teach them to cook healthy and nutritious meals, and offer lunch programs for students.

After two years of applying for federal funding and multiple rejections, Keats said the organization decided to turn to private donations.

Moving Forward managed to raise $45,000 and used it to invest in infrastructure, such as a commercial kitchen.

The program will be in addition to the community’s existing food bank, Global News CA added.