Nearly 600,000 people accessed Ontario food banks in a year: report
Global News
Food bank usage in Ontario rose 10 per cent during the first year of the pandemic to the highest levels since the recession, a new report has found.
TORONTO — Food bank usage in Ontario rose 10 per cent during the first year of the pandemic to the highest levels since the recession, a new report has found.
Nearly 600,000 people made more than 3.6 million visits to food banks in Ontario between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021, according to an annual report from Feed Ontario, a collective of hunger-relief organizations in the province.
Siu Mee Cheng, the interim executive director of the group, said COVID-19 has exacerbated the income insecurity and affordability issues in the province.
“This is an extremely alarming trend,” she said in an interview.
“The pandemic has had an impact on individuals and families and, as a result, they are coming to the food banks.”
The number of those who needed basic food support has increased by 10 per cent this year compared to the year before _ the highest single-year rise since 2009, said the report.
The document reflects data collected by 132 food banks and 1,100 affiliated social support organizations in Ontario.
Cheng said the current social safety programs in the province, including Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program, are not comprehensive and those who rely on them still end up needing to access food banks.