As Canadians struggle with high costs of living, more Torontonians are accessing emergency food services at the Daily Bread Food Bank than ever before.
According to the Daily Bread Food Bank, close to 270,000 residents visited the food bank in the month of March – the highest in the 40-year history of the organization.
Prior to the pandemic, the food bank saw approximately 65,000 client visits per month. However, that number has quadrupled since then.
The charity is calling on the Ontario government to take immediate action to help address this growing food insecurity crisis.
“It is the government’s duty to ensure that every person in this city, in this country, can realize their right to food. This is not something that can be outsourced to charities. We are at a breaking point and need action now,” said the CEO of Daily Bread Food Bank, Neil Hetherington.
“We simply cannot go on this way. Today we are raising the alarm and will continue to do so. We will not stand silently while our neighbours go hungry. We demand action now.”
The Daily Bread Food Bank isn’t the only food bank sounding the alarm on the unprecedented use of emergency food services by Canadians.
In March, the Mississauga Food Bank reported that roughly 3,900 more residents used the facility this January, a year-over-year increase of 41%.
The Mississauga Food Bank reports feeding 13,326 people in January – that’s equal to seeing every resident in Banff, Alta., or every hockey fan who attends an average Ottawa Senators game.
Higher inflation and issues related to supply chains have led to an increased cost of groceries.
According to the Dalhousie University report, a four-person family would spend around $16,200 feeding themselves this year.
