CANADA (Commonwealth Union)_ According to a new survey, a record number of Canadians used food banks this year, with rising inflation and low social assistance rates highlighted as major contributors to the increase.
According to Food Banks Canada’s annual report, there were about 1.5 million visits to food banks in March, which is 15% more than the same month a year ago and 35% higher than the March 2019 before the epidemic.
Linda Godin, a 72-year-old Edmonton resident on a fixed income, is one of those who has been forced to use food banks as a result of the growing cost of living. Making ends meet can be difficult at times, she told CBC News. “I try my best to budget, but occasionally it doesn’t work,” she added.
Data from more than 4,750 food banks and community organizations formed the basis of the Food Banks Canada study. According to the report, rising food and housing costs, high inflation, and low social assistance rates are all factors that have led to an increase in the use of food banks.
“What we are witnessing is the combination of long-term implications of a shattered social safety net combined with the effects of inflation and rising expenses forcing more people to use food banks than ever before in Canadian history,” said Kirstin Beardsley, CEO of Food Banks Canada. Each of these numbers represents a person who is too hard up for survival.
According to Beardsley, those with fixed incomes, such as pensioners and employed but low-income persons, such as students, have been hurt harder because their paycheques are unable to keep up with inflation. She noted that seniors, for example, who had previously been able to afford to live on their own, are now forced to use the food bank for the first time in their lives because the numbers don’t match up. Students are no different; they typically have very tight budgets, so when prices rise, as we’ve seen, you really can’t stretch your dollar, Beardsley said.
Rachael Wilson, CEO of the Ottawa Food Bank, said she observes these difficulties locally. Students are actually struggling, she told CBC News Network. “I think that the expense of living in Ottawa is on level with that in Toronto and other parts of the nation. The cost of food is really challenging.”
