By Rosalind Russell – Feed Ontario released its 2024 Hunger Report last Friday, revealing that record-high food bank use has surpassed the capacity and resources of the provincial food bank network.
Carolyn Stewart, CEO of Feed Ontario says as released earlier this year, Ontario’s food banks were accessed by more than 1 million people, a 25 per cent increase over 2023 and the eighth consecutive year of growth.
She says the report details the economic trends, including high housing costs and precarious work, that are driving the increase.
Stewart adds in addition to forcing more people to turn to food banks for help, the affordability crisis has resulted in fewer Ontarians being able to donate or provide the same level of support as they have in the past.
She emphasizes people only turn to food banks after they’ve exhausted all other options – and yet over one million Ontarians still needed help, the highest number of people on record.
To download a full copy of the 2024 Hunger Report, or to find out more about food banks in Ontario, visit https://www.feedontario.ca/hunger-report-2024.
Screenshot by Rosalind Russell
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