"Spiralling out of control": Canadian food banks pass two million visits in one month
With food insecurity on the rise — so much so that some doctors are being warned to watch out for scurvy — Food Banks Canada has reported a grim milestone of over two million visits in March 2024.
That’s one million monthly visits more than were recorded in March 2019, meaning food bank visits have almost doubled in five years.
Additionally, Food Banks Canada’s HungerCount 2024 report shared that close to 30% of Canadian food banks report running out of food as they feel the strain from the “one-two punch of housing and food inflation.”
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“This unthinkable rate of growth is not something food banks, nor people in Canada, can sustain. The damage is done, and people need immediate supports to help them recover. Everyone must come to the table to solve this problem. We cannot do it alone and need help to drive change,” said Kirstin Beardsley, chief executive officer of Food Banks Canada.
Food Banks Canada also reported that one-third of food bank clients are children, representing nearly 700,000 monthly visits in 2024. Additionally, nearly one-in-five food bank clients are employed (18%), compared to approximately one-in-10 in 2019 (12%), and almost 70% of them live in market-rent housing.
Out of all the provinces and territories, Ontario has the largest amount of 2024 monthly visits, coming in at 736,335, an 8% increase from 2023 and a 116% increase from 2019. In second is Quebec at 721,318 (a 109% increase from 2019), and third is BC at 225,605 (an 80% increase from 2019)
Food Bank Canada
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“Food Banks Canada believes that a dual-path approach is the way forward. We need governments to rapidly introduce income policies that will provide much-needed relief for the millions of people struggling right now. Low-income workers, single adults, renters and communities in the North need better supports and we encourage all Canadians to help us call on governments to repair the social safety net that lies in tatters after decades of neglect. Every action gets us one step closer to a future in Canada where no one goes hungry. Help us drive change,” said Beardsley.
In 2023, Food Banks Canada reported being in “crisis mode” after nearly two million visits in one month.