The cost of healthy food is a hardship for more families in Grey Bruce and it's not getting any easier.
The Grey Bruce Poverty Task Force announced a nutritious food basket for a family of four costs $782 a month, up from $775 a year ago.
Task Force coordinator Jill Umbach says low income families often have to pay other bills and good food is the one thing that can be neglected.
"You need to pay your rent you need to pay the utility bill, you have to pay for transportation if you need to get to a job. So there's all these essential things you have to pay for. Food is flexible," she says.
Bruce Grey United Way executive director Francesca Dobbyn says people are going hungry.
"There's just no way that people can pay almost $200 a week on food, not at the income levels we have in our community," says Dobbyn.
The Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force has come up with a Christmas wish addressing poverty in the region. Number one on the list is a decent wage.