Ontario meals banks “can not sustain” as usage has reached an eight-year excessive, a brand new report reveals.
Feed Ontario, a meals financial institution community within the province, launched new knowledge Tuesday displaying that 1,001,150 Ontarians visited a meals financial institution a minimum of as soon as between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024, a rise of 25 per cent over the identical time interval in 2022-23.
“Once we launched record-breaking knowledge final 12 months, we thought that was the high-water mark. However meals financial institution use has solely continued to climb as extra Ontarians discover themselves struggling to make ends meet,” Carolyn Stewart, CEO of Feed Ontario, mentioned in a information launch.
“When will our governments say sufficient is sufficient and take significant motion towards meals insecurity and poverty?”
Meals financial institution visits hit 7.6M in 2023-24
Feed Ontario’s report confirmed the primary drivers of meals insecurity proceed to be price of residing and a “heightened financial vulnerability” within the province.
It elaborated on that time by highlighting coverage choices just like the “erosion of social assist applications, a failure to adequately spend money on reasonably priced housing, and the expansion of precarious work” as explanation why Ontarians can’t sustain.
That stress trickles all the way down to meals banks, it added, saying 69 per cent of Ontario meals banks are involved about not having sufficient meals to fulfill demand – as witnessed in southern Ontario earlier this year.
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It added that 53 per cent fear about having sufficient funding to adequately meet the demand of their areas.
That being mentioned, 2023-24 is the eighth consecutive 12 months meals financial institution use has risen within the province.
Ontario meals banks had been visited 7,689,580 instances between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024, a rise of 31 per cent over 2022-23 and 134 per cent over 2019-20.
“Meals banks can not sustain with the unprecedented want they’re seeing,” Stewart mentioned.
“Throughout the province, we’re listening to stories of lengthy strains, empty cabinets, and a rising concern that some meals banks could have to shut their doorways.”
With extra folks struggling to make ends meet, Feed Ontario mentioned in its report that doubtless means fewer persons are capable of assist meals banks keep afloat with donations and assist.
In June, Meals Banks Canada released a report suggesting the variety of Canadians residing in poverty could also be larger than beforehand thought.
The group estimates 25 per cent of Canadians may fall underneath this class as a result of they will’t afford two or extra family necessities.
In terms of coverage, Feed Ontario is looking on the Ford authorities to develop a brand new poverty discount technique to make sure those that are struggling can entry a fundamental lifestyle.
In the meantime, Feed Ontario is asking all Ontarians to become involved in September, which is Starvation Motion Month. It’s calling on Ontarians to each assist their native meals financial institution and advocate for coverage adjustments.
“Meals banks had been solely ever designed to be a brief measure,” Stewart mentioned.
“They had been by no means meant to patch holes left in our weak social security nets. We have to act now.”
