As Calgarians prepare for Thanksgiving this year, the number of Calgary households relying on food banks daily has more than doubled since two years ago.
This doubling was confirmed by Melissa From, president and CEO of Calgary Food Bank, according to the Calgary Herald. She said that now more than 750 households are relying on using the food bank every day.
More working-class people are visiting food banks than ever before. From said that this is a last resort and that clients often use coupons, pinch pennies, go without meals, and even turn off their electricity before visiting a food bank.
A previous study highlighted that food bank usage has been reaching unprecedented levels across Canada. Demand surged 30% nationwide last year, with some regions experiencing even sharper increases.
In Newfoundland, the Saint Vincent de Paul Carbonear Food Bank reported a spike in clients as families approach the long weekend.
“For a lot of these people, Thanksgiving dinner might not even be an option,” spokesperson Kaitlin Clarke told CBC News.
In British Columbia, food bank visits rose by 57% since 2019, climbing by over 100% in rural areas with populations under 10,000.
Stephane Sirois, executive director of Food Depot Alimentaire in New Brunswick, previously told True North that the system was “close to a breaking point.”
He, too, said that working-class people were visiting food banks, often for the first time. But not the last.
“We’re not seeing any signs of reversing the trend in the near future. In the next couple of years, numerous Canadians will have to renew their mortgage at a much higher interest rate. This will put even more families over the edge and make them vulnerable to food insecurity,” said Sirois.
Dan Huang-Taylor, Executive Director of Food Banks BC, told True North that more people were turning to food banks in B.C. than seen in the 40-year history of operation.
“We’re seeing this alarming trend of people who are working full time, maybe two jobs, and they’re still not able to make ends meet,” he said.
The sharp rise in food bank visits can be partially attributed to higher food prices and rising costs of everything else.
A Dalhousie University research study showed that 84.1% of its 3,000 survey respondents noted that their food expenses had increased in the last year, adding that they had to adjust their shopping habits to adapt to the rising costs.
While official reports estimate food inflation at 2.4% in stores and 3.4%, the study said that 54.5% of Canadians believe food inflation to be higher than government estimates.
Things became so bad in Canada that a church from the United States stepped in and previously donated $2 million to a Toronto food Bank.
The $2 million donation was a saving grace, considering the number of monthly visits skyrocketed from 65,000 to over 350,000 since 2020.
“Food inflation, skyrocketing housing costs, stagnating wages, and insufficient income supports have created a deep poverty crisis,” said Neil Hetherington, CEO of Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto. He added that some clients spend 100% of their income on housing, leaving no money for necessities like food.
Calgary’s non-profits are ramping up efforts to meet the growing need. Meals on Wheels has surpassed one million meals delivered this year and is preparing to distribute another 400,000 by the end of 2024.
The CEO of Meals on Wheels, Esther Elder, said it’s the third time in three years that the number of meals has exceeded one million. The organization plans to boost production by 180,000 meals annually with new equipment.
The surge in food bank dependency is not unique to Alberta. Nearly 20% of Canadians now know someone who relies on a food bank.
National food insecurity rates reached 22.9%, according to Food Banks Canada’s 2024 Poverty Report Card, which gave the country a D- overall. The report cited rapid population growth, high interest rates, and housing shortages as contributing factors to the crisis.
True North previously reported that international students in Canada were filming themselves visiting food banks to get “free food” to save money.
Canada’s rent growth recently hit a three-year low due to international student enrollments plummeting. Maybe food banks will follow.
