Toronto food banks reaching ‘crisis’ levels as costs skyrocket

More Canadians are struggling to make ends meet, leading to a rise in the number of visits to food banks. Faiza Amin reports.

By Faiza Amin and Meredith Bond

Ahead of the holiday season, the Daily Bread Food Bank said the use of food banks by Canadians has reached “crisis” levels.

High inflation rates and grocery prices combined with the increased need have led food banks to spend over 10 times more than previous years in order to operate.

Daily Food Bank CEO Neil Hetherington said pre-pandemic, their food budget was $1.6 million. In 2022, it has increased to $18 million.

“We are seeing the impact on costs as we serve more clients, and also on the expense side of food purchasing to be able to provide this essential service,” said Hetherington.

These costs come as the food bank reports 5.8 million people across Canada are food insecure.

Visits to food banks have tripled since COVID and they expect to serve over two million people this year. Hetherington said this just means they’ve had to work harder to make sure everyone is fed, but there should be a light shed on why this is happening.

“We’re going to make sure that their needs are met now but at the same time, what that really means is that we need to advocate for systemic change,” said Hetherington. There’s a big hill of hope that we need to climb together. And my hope is that when we start to talk about affordable housing that eventually the numbers of individuals who need the Daily Bread Food Bank … can start to diminish.”

Hetherington said food bank clients have a median of just $8 per day per person to spend on food after rent and bills, a drop of a median of $9.17 per day last year. New clients are also on average, younger, and more likely to be employed.

“[Almost] One in five food bank users are spending 100 per cent of their income on housing costs [and are] completely dependent on friends, family and the daily bread and charities to be able to get by. In a city as great as ours is, that just shouldn’t be the case.”

Volunteers are also working hard to make sure the Food Bank is ready for the holiday season, usually a busy time for donations. Gemma, a volunteer, told CityNews why she volunteers for the Food Bank.

“There’s only so much an individual person can do. By coming in here getting to be part of a team, I really feel like I’m contributing to something bigger than myself,” said Gemma.

Black, Indigenous communities disproportionately impacted

Hetherington also points to startling data featured in the annual Who’s Hungry report, the 2022 release which profiles food insecurity in the city of Toronto, and who is accessing the services.

Despite representing only one per cent of the population in Toronto, people who identify as Indigenous make up five per cent of food bank users. Representing eight per cent of the city’s population, 24 per cent of food bank clients are Black.

“We have to ask questions about systemically what is going on,” Hetherington said. “How can we address those root causes so that nobody needs to rely on food charity.”

The Daily Bread Food Bank sees a majority of their donations during the holiday season, but they are encouraging Canadians to continue giving throughout the year.

Monetary donations through their website are preferred, so the much-needed items can be purchased.

Non-perishable donations can also be dropped off at Toronto fire stations, participating grocery stores, or the facility in Etobicoke.

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