The number of visits to Toronto’s food banks is now higher than the entire population of the city.
The annual “Who’s Hungry” report, issued by The Daily Bread Food Bank and North York Harvest Food Bank, said there were nearly 3.5 million visits to food banks during the past year — up by 1 million over the previous 12-month period.
The population of Toronto is nearly 2.8 million people, according to the latest census information.
“It is unfathomable that the number of client visits to food banks is now higher than the City of Toronto’s entire population,” says Neil Hetherington, CEO of the Daily Bread Food Bank.
“Our governments cannot continue to stand by as people are pushed further into poverty due to astronomical housing and food prices, years of inflation, stagnating wages and insufficient income supports. We need and demand action now.”
The report says after paying rent and utilities, food bank users have a median of $7.78 left per person, per day, to pay for food and essentials.
The average monthly income for a food bank client is $1,265, but in Toronto, the official poverty line for a single person is $2,397 a month.
The report found 73% of clients spend half of their income on housing, and 20% say they spend their entire income on housing.
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Nearly one in three food bank clients say they have gone an entire day without eating.
“When you are living on $300 a month, you need to rely on food banks,” said one person in the Who’s Hungry report.
Another client said, “I sacrifice with food. I’ve got children, so anything extra I give to them.”
Clients say there needs to be affordable housing, decent wages, newcomer supports, and higher social assistance rates to ease dependence on food banks.
“Food banks cannot and will not solve this problem, and we will not stand by quietly while we are asked to do impossible things,” says Ryan Noble, executive director of the North York Harvest Food Bank.
“The supports that we provide every day to thousands of people across our communities are critical, but do not mistake them for solutions. Without policy action, things will only get worse.”
Food bank officials are calling on the Trudeau government to beef up Canada Disability Benefit payments, for the province to include adequate affordable housing in its plans to build 1.5 million dwellings by 2031, and for the city to act on poverty reduction measures.
Nearly one in three food bank clients say they have gone an entire day without eating.
“When you are living on $300 a month, you need to rely on food banks,” said one person in the Who’s Hungry report.
Another client said, “I sacrifice with food. I’ve got children, so anything extra I give to them.”
Clients say there needs to be affordable housing, decent wages, newcomer supports, and higher social assistance rates to ease dependence on food banks.
“Food banks cannot and will not solve this problem, and we will not stand by quietly while we are asked to do impossible things,” says Ryan Noble, executive director of the North York Harvest Food Bank.
“The supports that we provide every day to thousands of people across our communities are critical, but do not mistake them for solutions. Without policy action, things will only get worse.”
Food bank officials are calling on the Trudeau government to beef up Canada Disability Benefit payments, for the province to include adequate affordable housing in its plans to build 1.5 million dwellings by 2031, and for the city to act on poverty reduction measures.
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