Record-breaking number of Canadians going hungry

The number of people who are turning to food banks is rapidly increasing as Canadians from coast to coast struggle to make ends meet amid a cost-of-living crisis.

A new report from Food Banks Canada shows in March of this year, nearly 2 million people visited a food bank. That’s an increase of just over 32 per cent from last year and a jump of more than 78 per cent from 2019.

The national agency says these figures represent a new record and there are growing concerns things will only get worse.

Almost 70 per cent of food bank users are renters, the report finds. Others have jobs that need extra help, and one-third are children.

Food Banks Canada says the main reasons why people are reaching out are because of high food and housing costs, expensive gas, and low wages.

The agency’s CEO Kirstin Beardsley says these aren’t just numbers, they’re people who desperately need help.

“It gets me emotional because behind every single one of these numbers is a person, and I know what it takes for someone to get to the point where they’re turning to a food bank for help,” she said.

“So, you replicate that 2 million times in a single month and it’s heartbreaking to think of that all across the country.”

The report finds governments at all levels have been ignoring alarm bells around the growing use of the service among working professionals, seniors, and immigrants.

Beardsley adds politicians need to make long-term social investments in things like affordable housing to tackle the country’s growing food insecurity crisis.

The Greater Vancouver Food Bank Executive Cynthia Boulter says they see parents who are skipping meals so their children can eat, people who haven’t eaten for days, and seniors who haven’t had fresh produce in months.

“It’s quite staggering. In addition to new immigrants, which is also a theme right across the country with food banks,” she explained.

Everyone agrees the government needs to step in to tackle the cost-of-living crisis by increasing wages and fixing the housing crunch.

“Canadians have watched as government-provided social supports have eroded over the last several decades. What’s left is an income floor with massive holes and inadequate foundations,” said Beardsley.

“It’s time for governments to take bold action toward introducing new supports, in particular for working-age singles and people with disabilities.”

–With files from The Canadian Press