Food bank demand has nearly doubled since pandemic, Mississauga organization says

The number of visitors to food banks in Mississauga has nearly doubled since the height of the pandemic, says the city's largest food security organization.

In a news release Monday, Food Banks Mississauga said it has launched its spring drive in the hopes of raising $800,000 by April 30. The organization, which leads a network of more than 60 food programs, says food insecurity continues to grow in the city.

CEO Meghan Nicholls said there's never been a "return to normal" for Food Banks Mississauga following the pandemic. She said the number of people who go to the food bank is not moving in the right direction.

Food banks were intended to bridge a gap only, she added.

"We're meant to help people in an emergency, but what's changed is now people are in emergency every single month because the income they have is nowhere near covering the actual costs that it would take to live their life," Nicholls said.

In its 2020-2021 annual report, the organization says it had 25,801 unique visitors, while in May 2025, it had 48,539 unique visitors. A unique visitor is a person who has visited a food bank in Mississauga once in the past year.

The organization says nearly 30 per cent of food bank visitors in Mississauga are currently employed, compared to less than 15 per cent in 2022. As well, the organization says its food banks are serving 35 per cent more seniors than they were in 2023.

Nicholls said people have to pay rent and end up spending up less on food to save, relying on the food bank as they try to manage their household budget.

Nicholls said 90 per cent of the organization's funding comes from the community while about five weeks of its year are funded by Peel Region.

"We really rely on other neighbours in the community who want to make sure that their neighbours aren't going hungry," Nicholls said.

Food donations are accepted, including bottles of cooking oil, but the organization prefers financial support because it can stretch the dollars, Nicholls said.

"Over the last number of years, we've become really, really good at finding surplus food along the supply chain. And so instead of folks paying retail prices to buy food at the grocery store, when you donate a dollar to us, we're able to distribute over $4 worth of food."

Mary Ann Baird, a volunteer since October 2020, said she has noticed an increase in food bank use. She packs bags for home delivery clients.

Baird said she knows the number of seniors using food banks is increasing.