Food bank use expected to increase in months ahead, report finds
Posted October 28, 2021 6:31 am.
Last Updated October 28, 2021 8:29 am.
Food insecurity in this country is only going to get worse, according to a report examining food bank use in Canada.
Food Banks Canada’s HungerCount 2021 report is out with its first comprehensive look at food bank usage since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The findings show a major surge in visits throughout the health crisis, and food banks are now bracing for an increase in the months to come due to the high cost of living and ongoing economic disruptions.
The report highlights how the pandemic worsened the hunger crisis in this country.
Canadians made 1.3 million visits to food banks in March 2021, a 20 per cent increase compared to March 2019.
Food banks in large cities like Toronto were especially strained, with over a quarter seeing their usage more than double compared to previous years.
The report found that people who used food banks had lost their jobs during the pandemic. It also found that one-third of food bank users in Canada are children.
