The Food Banks of Canada annual report released today (Mon) says poverty and food insecurity are not only on the rise but rising sharply.  The most recent Canadian Income Survey found that 1 in 10 Canadians live in poverty, and 23 per cent experience food insecurity. According to the report, there were over 2 million visits to food banks across Canada last March, which is a record, and is a six per cent increase from the previous March and over 78 per cent compared to 2019.

The report also states that 33 per cent of users are children, even though they represent about 20 per cent of the population. The Executive Director of the Saskatoon Food Bank & Learning Centre says their numbers are even higher, with about 40 per cent of those using the food bank being children. Laurie O’Connor notes that they are seeing a rise in usage across the board, including seniors, who in many cases are the ones who were donating and volunteering for their communities in the past and now are relying on services like the food bank. She adds that people working minimum wage jobs who are paying the bills, paying rent and trying to feed a family, are having to use the food bank.

If you would like to help out the Saskatoon Food Bank & Learning Centre, you can donate online through their website. Also, when you are grocery shopping, you could drop a few items into the bins available at grocery stores for the food bank. Click here for the annual report.