Food banks across Canada saw almost two million visits in March 2024, a 6 percent increase from the previous year and the highest number ever recorded.
Food bank usage has risen 90 percent since 2019, according to HungerCount 2024, a Food Banks Canada report that tracks trends among the country’s 5,500 food banks and community organizations.
The report said one-in-five Canadians that are currently accessing food banks are employed, while 33 percent of clients are children, 40 percent are on social assistance or disability support, and 32 percent are newcomers to Canada. The report also found that 7.7 percent of those accessing food banks are seniors, whose proportion of food bank usage has “increased significantly compared to before the pandemic.”…