A drastic rise in visits to Toronto food banks this year is reflective of just how much some families have been struggling financially.
According to the annual Who’s Hungry report from Daily Bread and North York Harvest food banks, there were a record-breaking 3.49 million visits to Daily Bread food banks in Toronto this year—the highest number of visits in history.
“The sheer numbers of client visits are the most alarming – 3.49 million visits and almost 155,000 new clients who never thought they would have to turn to food banks is cause for serious concern,” Sahar Raza, vice president, of research and advocacy, at Daily Bread Food Bank told Now Toronto.
“Every food bank visit is a policy failure, so the fact that more than one in 10 Torontonians are now relying on food banks to survive demonstrates just how broken some of our policies regarding affordable housing, income supports, and decent work really are.”
The report, which compares data from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024, saw a 38-per cent increase over the course of the year and a 273-per cent increase in visits compared to pre-pandemic times.
It also reported that more than one in ten Toronotonians utilize food banks, a finding that Raza says can be chalked up to the increased cost of living in Toronto.
“Although clients this year reported higher employment rates, work hours, and incomes than ever before, their wages still aren’t keeping up with the cost of living in Toronto,” Raza said. “Inflation has been massive over the past few years and even as it stabilizes, prices are where they are and people are having to cope with this new reality.”
Another report finding indicates that one in five food bank clients spend their entire income on housing, leaving no funds to pay for other necessities, including food.
“What we’re seeing is food banks like Daily Bread dealing with the result of decades of underinvestment and policy failure, all of which is coming to a head now to create a massive cost of living crisis that is trapping hundreds of thousands of Torontonians in poverty,” Raza said. “But food banks are band-aids, not long-term solutions to hunger and poverty.”
According to the report, 57 per cent of food bank visits were first-time users this year. Of this group, one in three are ages 18 to 29, while four in five are newcomers to Canada.
While donations of non-parishable items to the food banks are always welcome, Raza says community members also need to be advocates for change.
“What we need to see most is people getting angry and calling on their government representatives to make a change. We cannot let governments think that it is OK to let charities deal with the massive poverty and food insecurity crisis in our communities—a crisis caused by their flawed policies,” Raza said.
She adds that rather than agonizing over the state of poverty, people should demand to see change, and can do so by writing to the government through the Daily Bread website.
