Food Banks across Canada Experience Overwhelming Demand with Almost 2 Million Visits in 1 Month

According to the newly released Food Banks Canada HungerCount 2023 report, “Relentless inflation and a broken social safety net has caused many people who never thought they would need a food bank to walk through the doors for the first time.  With food banks across Canada in crisis mode, as demand reaches new all-time highs, we must ask: when is it enough before we act?” urges Kirstin Beardsley, chief executive officer, Food Banks Canada.

The milestone report – the only research study encompassing the country’s 4,750+ food banks and community organisations – shows the devastating impact of rapid inflation and inadequate social supports on poverty, food insecurity and hunger in Canada.

“The sad reality is that nothing will change until governments in Canada hear the alarm bells that have been ringing for far too long. Governments at all levels must respond. By focusing on urgent affordability issues and fixing our broken social safety net, a better path forward is possible – a Canada where no one goes hungry,” said Kirstin.

To support the publication of the report, Food Banks Canada has launched a national campaign calling on Canadians to contact their federal representatives to demand real change.

“Canadian’s voices are a powerful, and at this stage, with the numbers increasing at record setting rates, our most vulnerable communities need us all to use them. Our social safety systems are broken and there are ways for the government at every level to act, and we are asking Canadians to join us in demanding them to start making those changes” said Caroline Newton, chief communication officer at Food Banks Canada.

“It’s amazing to be a partner of Food Banks Canada. Watching the complexity of their work is a constant point of pride for all of us at TLC. Their role in Canada is a critical component of our social infrastructure, and this campaign needed all people in Canada to know they can be a part of the change that’s needed. We don’t need to just keep seeing news reports of the line ups around the corner at food banks across the Country. We can use our voices to change this.” said Kaitlin Doherty, co-founder, president at TLC.

HungerCount 2023 Findings

• Number of visits in March 2023: 1,935,911 
• Percentage increase from 2022: 32.1% 
• Percentage increase from 2019: 78.5%

People in every community across the country are at the breaking point.

• Food bank use rose to the highest levels in Canadian history in 2023.
• Food bank use among people who are employed continued to increase to record levels. In 2023, 17% of food bank clients reported employment as their main source of income, compared to 12% in 2019.
• The top reasons people accessed a food bank this year were food costs, housing costs, low wages or not enough hours of work.
• One third of food bank clients are children (representing over 600,000 food bank visits in March 2023).
• To create a Canada where no one is left behind, and no one goes hungry, all levels of government must adopt a dual approach to address the root causes of food bank use by addressing low incomes and poverty and the skyrocketing costs of living.