Food Banks Canada released a report highlighting the growing need for new legislation to help Canadians make ends meet.
They say in their Hunger Count 2024 report that the need for food banks is “spiraling out of control,” with a 90% increase in visits across the country compared to 2019.
“This is not a storm that policymakers can “wait out.” The damage is done, and people need immediate support to help them recover,” reads the report.
On average food banks reported running out of food early before the demand was met and “56% gave out less food than usual to avoid running out”.
Compared to 5 years ago the number of children using food banks has risen from 300,000 per month to 700,000 per month, a 33% increase.
The data they used was from March of this year and it showed that across the country more than two million people used the foodbank in a single record-breaking month.
In BC food banks reported 225,605 visits per month, 70,000 of which were children.
They add that 70% of their clients live in market rental housing which is highest among people under 45 and who have been in Canada for less than 10 years.
The 108-page report recommended policy to help “rebuild Canada’s social safety net”, including a grocery and essentials tax benefit, modernizing E-I and ensuring all federal benefits are indexed to inflation.
A link to the report can be found here.
– with files from My Kootenay Now staff
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