Trust in Toronto Food Banks Hits Critical Level: Report

Article content

The goodwill holiday season may be on the rise, but so is Canada’s food crisis, with more people relying on food banks as they struggle to deal with the aftermath of the pandemic.

Article content

Every sector of the country has been affected, and the latest food insecurity numbers facing Toronto are the most devastating, with one in three food bank customers reporting going all day without eating. This according to a recent annual report from Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank, which has seen an unprecedented surge in visits that has left the nonprofit reeling.

The report, titled Whose hungry , in association with North York Harvest Food Bank, reveals a staggering 1.45 million visits to food banks in the past year, the highest number on record in the organization’s history and a 47% increase compared to with the previous year.

Profiling the state of hunger in the city, the report also found that for the first time, new customers have outnumbered existing customers looking to put food on the table, a 61% increase compared to the previous year. .

Article content

Organizers noted that many are now living in a state of crisis, even as pandemic restrictions are easing and the economy is reopening.

“This is the highest number of visits to the food bank since we have records going back to 1995,” said Talia Bronstein, vice president of research and advocacy for the Daily Bread Food Bank. “There are a number of factors at play, including economic pressures from the pandemic, unemployment and underemployment.

“Add to that the combination of a lack of affordable housing and insufficient income support, all of which contribute to an unstable base. When the impact of the pandemic came, we really didn’t have the capacity to recover (to face it). “

That said, Bronstein notes that the current situation “could have been avoided,” beginning with a call for the government to “help build resilience.” We need an income support system and affordable housing. “

Article content

Bronstein says everyone can help change this ship “by supporting the immediate need through donations and volunteering. The foods most needed are protein-rich foods like canned tuna, beans, and pasta sauce.

“But equally, if not more important, is that we need to advocate for change, with a strong voice from the people to hold government accountable.”

A critical factor in the report, he notes, is that after rent and utilities, “a person has basically $ 9.17 to cover everything else, including food and transportation.”

Visit dailybread.ca/whoshungry to read the full Who’s Hungry 2021 report.

[email protected]