Feed Ontario released the 2024 Hunger Report, revealing record-high food bank use has surpassed the capacity and resources of the provincial food bank network. Feed Ontario said the province’s food banks were accessed by more than one million people— a 25% increase over 2023 and the eighth consecutive year of growth. “People only turn to food banks after they’ve exhausted all other options — and yet over one million Ontarians still needed our help,” said Feed Ontario CEO Carolyn Stewart in a press release.“This is the highest number of people on record and is occurring at a time when donations are declining as more individuals can no longer afford to give.” As a result, Stewart said food banks “are being stretched beyond their capacity and running out of resources at a time when people and families need them the most.”Feed Ontario detailed the economic trends, including high housing costs and precarious work, that are driving this increase. In addition to forcing more people to turn to food banks for help, it said the affordability crisis has resulted in fewer Ontarians being able to donate or provide the same level of support as they have in the past.It said record high food bank use is consistent across Ontario, with every region in the province seeing double-digit increases in it over the last year. “We’re seeing people that we used to see years ago, and people who were donors now have to come for support,” said Port Cares CEO Christine Clark Lafleur. Feed Ontario said the report touches on difficult decisions food banks have been forced to make as they try to meet record demand and stretch limited resources further. This includes reducing the amount of food provided to people in need, cutting wrap-around programs and services, and contemplating the real possibility of having to close their doors.While food banks are struggling, Stewart said they “are doing everything they can to keep their doors open and their shelves full, but when donors start turning into clients, an impossible situation starts to emerge.” “Food banks do not have the resources to adequately meet the level of need in our province,” she said.“As a result, even with the help of food banks, people and families are going hungry.”Feed Ontario has been clear in its message food banks are not a solution to poverty or food insecurity. Instead, it said people turn to them because public policies and social support programs are failing them. It said food banks have seen an 80% increase in the number of households who rent their housing. Additionally, it found there has been a 109% increase in the number who are experiencing some form of homelessness over the last four years.One-quarter of food bank visitors are employed, with 42% indicating that they earn minimum wage or less. Eleven percent of surveyed food bank visitors have access to paid sick days.Almost two-thirds of food bank visitors are social assistance recipients. The financial support provided through Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) fall 66% and 53% below the poverty line.Stewart said Ontario needs immediate, bold action against poverty. Moreover, she said Feed Ontario wants to see the number of people needing food banks go down. Feed Ontario outlined several policy recommendations the Ontario government could implement now to start addressing this crisis. These solutions include a new, bolder approach to its poverty reduction strategy; improvements to Ontario Works and the ODSP, including addressing the barriers that program recipients face when trying to obtain work; improvements to Ontario’s labour and employment laws; and further spending on affordable housing.Food banks are not government funded and rely on donations to keep their doors open and shelves full. Feed Ontario asked anyone who is able to give this holiday season to consider donating to it and their local food bank.While Feed Ontario will continue to advocate for public policy solutions, Stewart said food banks need people's help today. If people are in a position to give, she said their donations will make an incredible difference. “With so many people in need, your support will help keep food bank shelves full for everyone needing help this holiday season,” she said. The Conservatives said after nine years of the Liberals and NDP being in power, millions of Canadians are going hungry. “Canadians deserve relief,” said the Conservatives.“Yet in the new year, the NDP-Liberal government will hike the carbon tax again as part of their plan to quadruple the carbon tax to 61 cents per litre by 2030.” At the worst possible time, the Conservatives predicted this will make life more expensive. It said Trudeau does not understand if the Canadian government taxes the farmer who grows the food and the trucker who ships it, it will tax the family who buys it. A report revealed on November 12 economic hardship is forcing a record number of Toronto residents to rely on food banks, with more than one in ten people now seeking assistance to survive..Report reveals over one in ten Torontonians relying on food banks to make ends meet .The report — published by the Daily Bread Food Bank (DBFB) and the North York Harvest Food Bank (NYHFB) — painted a bleak picture of life in Toronto, which is struggling under rising food and housing costs that have hit families hard.DBFB and NYHFB pointed to the impact of the Canadian government’s policies, including the carbon tax, which have added $700 to the average family’s annual food expenses.
