Canadian Food Banks have seen a record amount of monthly users over the past year.
According to HungerCount 2024, a report by Food Banks Canada, more than two million people visited a food bank in March alone.
The number is a six per cent increase from last year and over 90 per cent jump from 2019.
Many food banks are beginning to feel the impact, with 30 per cent reporting they are running out of food.
The report also found that rapid inflation, costs of housing, and insufficient social supports are contributing to higher levels of poverty and food insecurity across the country.
Michelle Rowe-Jardine, a communications and media relations specialist at North York Harvest Food Bank, says food banks are running out of options.
“We can’t keep doing this, food banks can’t keep doing this, none of us are able to meet the demand we are seeing,” says Rowe-Jardine.
“Free food is not going to fix food insecurity, it just can’t. We need to look at the root causes of poverty.”
Rowe-Jardine says programs like Toronto Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) are contributing to the increase in those experiencing food insecurity.
“A person on ODSP I think can receive just over 1300 and some odd dollars a month and that’s for everything. That’s an impossible budget to live in Toronto,” says Rowe-Jardine.
“People have to make these impossible choices every day, like do I pay my rent or do I go without medication, just because they can’t balance all these expenses.”
Rowe-Jardine says there is a major misconception when it comes to those who use the food bank and why.
“They think people just need to work harder, they just need to budget, ” says Rowe-Jardine.
“People who are working full-time are using the food bank, students are using the food bank.”
Lake, a third-year Humber Polytechnic student, who did not want her last name used, says she has often had to resort to other food programs due to limited food bank access in the city.
“I’ve noticed that food banks in the city are quite inaccessible depending on where you live, the nearest food bank to me is a half an hour drive,” says Lake.
“I live near midtown and in my opinion I think it’s not considered a low-income area and the city assumes people don’t need a food bank in that area, which is not true.”
Lake says there are a number of barriers when it comes to getting items from food banks.
“Some food banks are by appointment only. If you can’t make it for the time, the options are either extremely limited or there’s nothing left,” says Lake.
“Some of them I can’t even use because I don’t live in the neighbourhood they serve. So then, if I am near a food Bank, I have to check if I am eligible, if they will serve me, and if they accept drop-ins.”
Lake says the high cost of living has contributed to the increase in those facing food insecurity.
“People used to donate groceries to those bins in grocery stores,” says Lake.
“But now the cost of living is so high they can’t donate food and that’s what we’re seeing at the Food Banks.”
Rowe-Jardine says that the only way for change to happen is by people coming together.
“The only reason we are still around is massive policy failure,” says Rowe-Jardine.
“We really need to put pressure on the government and say hey you can’t keep ignoring this anymore you are letting down thousands upon thousands of people.”
