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Over a million people visited an Ontario food bank in 2023.
CP 24 reports that as food prices are soaring across the country, food banks are witnessing more people depending on their services, according to data released by a network of hunger relief organizations.
Feed Ontario, a network of over 1,200 food banks and hunger relief organizations across the province, released the record-breaking data on Tuesday. The group revealed that 1,001,150 visited a food bank between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024. This marks an increase of 25% over last year.
The CEO of Feed Ontario, Carolyn Stewart said, “One million not having enough food, one million having to make impossible choices, paying rent or choosing groceries. One million unable to keep their heads above water and in need of help.”
“When did we start accepting that people going hungry is OK? That it’s OK for some to thrive while we leave others drowning? Housing costs are too high, incomes aren’t keeping up, social supports aren’t keeping up with those who rely on them. People are drowning in the rising tide of unaffordability.”
The data showed that people using food banks responded with an “unprecedented” 7.6 million visits during the past year, which represents a 134% jump from 2019-2020.
Stewart said, “Food banks cannot keep up with the unprecedented need they’re seeing. Across the province, we are hearing reports of long lines, empty shelves, and a growing concern that some food banks may have to close their doors.”
The organization said the main driver of food insecurity in Ontario is the rapid spike in the cost of living and the “heightened economic vulnerability that is being felt throughout the province.”
69 per cent of food banks in the Feed Ontario network are worried about insufficient food to adequately support those in need, and 53 per cent worry about having enough funding to adequately meet the demand in their areas.
“Food banks were only ever designed to be a temporary measure. They were never meant to patch holes left in our weak social safety nets. Food bank use has only continued to climb as more Ontarians find themselves struggling to make ends meet. When will our government say enough is enough and take meaningful action against food insecurity and poverty,” Stewart said.
According to the organization, policy decisions, including “the erosion of social support programs, a failure to adequately invest in affordable housing, and the growth of precarious work”, are leaving Ontario residents struggling.
The organization is calling on the provincial government to develop a stronger poverty reduction strategy to ensure that those struggling in Ontario can access “a basic standard of living.”
It also advocates for improving Ontario’s social assistance programs, providing better employment opportunities, and investing in making living costs more affordable.
Kirstin Beardsley, CEO of Food Banks Canada, a charitable organization representing the food bank community across Canada, said on Tuesday that they are tired of hearing record-breaking numbers on food bank use year after year.
She said, “We are tired of breaking records, tired of saying things are worse, tired of feeling like governments who should be responding with urgency aren’t hearing our alarm bells. We’re not talking about numbers. It’s about real people with real stories walking through our doors.”
Meghan Nicholls, CEO of Food Banks Mississauga, said on Tuesday that the city of Mississauga is seeing the fastest increase in food bank use in Ontario and Canada.
