Ontario food banks ‘cannot keep up’ as usage reaches 8-year high

Feed Ontario, a food bank network in the province, released new data Tuesday showing that 1,001,150 Ontarians visited a food bank at least once in 2023-24.

Ontario food banks “cannot keep up” as usage has reached an eight-year high, a new report reveals.

Feed Ontario, a food bank network in the province, released new data Tuesday showing that 1,001,150 Ontarians visited a food bank at least once between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024, an increase of 25 per cent over the same time period in 2022-23.

“When we released record-breaking data last year, we thought that was the high-water mark. But food bank use has only continued to climb as more Ontarians find themselves struggling to make ends meet,” Carolyn Stewart, CEO of Feed Ontario, said in a news release.

“When will our governments say enough is enough and take meaningful action against food insecurity and poverty?”

Feed Ontario’s report showed the main drivers of food insecurity continue to be cost of living and a “heightened economic vulnerability” in the province.

It elaborated on that point by highlighting policy decisions like the “erosion of social support programs, a failure to adequately invest in affordable housing, and the growth of precarious work” as reasons why Ontarians can’t keep up.

That pressure trickles down to food banks, it added, saying 69 per cent of Ontario food banks are concerned about not having enough food to meet demand – as witnessed in southern Ontario earlier this year.

It added that 53 per cent worry about having enough funding to adequately meet the demand in their areas.