FOOD BANK USAGE
In March 2022, approximately 2,380 food banks provided 4 million meals to 1.5 million food bank users across Canada, the highest usage on record even though unemployment rates were at historic lows, according to the 2022 HungerCount report. Overall, food bank visits have skyrocketed 35% since 2019, with the highest year-over-year increase in usage since the aftermath of the 2008 recession.
The top three reasons people accessed a food bank in 2022 were food costs, low provincial social assistance rates, and housing costs. The end of pandemic benefits in late 2021 and significant increases in the cost of living in early 2022 have been disastrous for low-income households, with many spending more of their budgets on basic needs, often sacrificing food to pay rent.
In BC, 126 food banks, including four in Greater Victoria, reported 163,200 total visits in 2022, up 25% from 2021 and 31% since 2019. Children under 18 years of age accounted for 32% of total visits (52,300), despite representing 20% of the BC population. In 2022, BC food banks provided approximately 248,200 meals.
Source: Food Banks Canada