A record number of people have used food banks in Canada this year, with high inflation and low social assistance rates cited as key factors in the rise, according to a new report.
Food Banks Canada’s annual report says there were nearly 1.5 million food bank visits in March, up 15% from the same month last year and 35% more than in March 2019, before the pandemic.
Linda Godin, a 72-year-old woman living on a fixed income in Edmonton, is among those who have had to turn to food banks due to the rising cost of living.
“It’s hard to make ends meet sometimes,” she told CBC News. “I try to budget as much as I can, but sometimes budgeting doesn’t work.”
Food Banks Canada’s report is based on data from more than 4,750 food banks and community organizations.
The report says skyrocketing food and housing costs, along with high inflation and low welfare rates, have contributed to increased food bank use.
“What we are seeing is the combination of long-term effects of a broken social safety net combined with the effects of inflation and high costs that are pushing more people to use food banks than ever before in Canadian history,” said Kirstin Beardsley, CEO of Food Banks Canada.
“Behind every one of these numbers is a person who is struggling too much to get by.”
Seniors and students rely more on food banks
Fixed-income groups like the elderly and employed but low-income people like students have been hit harder because their paychecks can’t keep up with inflation, Beardsley said.
“We have people like old people, who have been able to afford to live, who suddenly have to turn to the food bank for the first time in their lives because it’s not all adding up,” Beardsley said.
“And the students are the same; often they have very limited income, and so when the costs go up, as we’ve seen, you just can’t stretch the dollar.”
Ottawa Food Bank CEO Rachael Wilson said she sees those same challenges playing out locally.
“Students are really struggling,” she told CBC News Network. “When you look at the cost of education, as well as the cost of rent here in Ottawa, I know it’s similar in Toronto and across the country. The cost of food is incredibly difficult.
The report also says that around 500,000 food bank clients – about a third – are children, who make up around 20% of the country’s total population.
A new report shows demand for Canadian food banks hit an all-time high in 2022, with more people struggling to keep pace with the rising cost of living. Beyond people on fixed incomes, the report also highlights a growing need among people with jobs.
Struggle to meet demand
The increase in demand has made it difficult for some food banks to keep up. The food bank at Memorial University’s St. John’s campus, for example, had to temporarily close because he had nothing left in stock.
“The demand over the past few months has simply been higher than we could have anticipated,” said Matt Pike, the food bank’s volunteer coordinator.
Pike said campus food bank usage in August — around 150 customers — typically increases 50% in September when students return to class, but this year it’s doubled. He said the food bank served around 300 customers in September and 360 in October before it was forced to close.
Beardsley called the report a “wake-up call” that should trigger action to address food insecurity and the issues that contribute to it.
The report proposes short- and long-term solutions, including creating a universal minimum income for low-income Canadians and providing more affordable, subsidized housing.
He also suggests that reforms are needed to employment insurance and the Canada workers benefit programs.
Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre clashed with Families Minister Karina Gould over a Food Banks Canada report that the number of Canadians using their services reached 1.5 million this year.
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