Food bank organizations across Canada are sounding the alarm ahead of the upcoming federal election calling on political parties to make food insecurity a top priority.
In an open letter signed by 12 national, provincial, and territorial food bank associations, the groups urge all federal parties to commit to cutting food insecurity in half by 2030, and to include tangible steps in their platforms to achieve that goal.
The letter outlines that nearly one in four Canadians are currently living with food insecurity, and more than two million people are expected to visit food banks this month alone.
Many food banks are unable to keep up - 30 per cent ran out of food before meeting demand in the past year and over half were forced to ration what they had.
“Widespread hunger is a non-partisan crisis,” the letter reads. “We can’t expect Canada to rise to whatever challenges lie ahead when a quarter of its residents are struggling to meet their basic needs.”
Mike MacDonald, executive director of Upper Room Hospitality Ministry, says food bank use has doubled in the province over the past five years and many of the clients are people seeking help for the first time.
“There are way too many people knocking on our doors every day,” MacDonald said. “The cost of living has just skyrocketed groceries, housing, fuel. People aren’t earning enough to get by.”
MacDonald said nearly 40 per cent of food bank users in Prince Edward Island are employed but still can’t make ends meet.
“We’re very close to hitting the ceiling of what food banks can do,” he said. “This isn’t sustainable. As much as our donors are terrific, there are limits to what they can give. That’s why we need governments to step up.”
The call to action represents a unified stance from food bank leaders who; while acknowledging they may not always agree on everything, say they’re speaking with one voice on this issue.
In New Brunswick, the numbers are just as concerning, Stephane Sioris, executive director of Food Depot Alimentaire in Moncton, said food bank use in the province has increased by more than 56 per cent over the past five years. His organization supports 67 food banks and community kitchens.
“It used to be people on social assistance needing help once in a while,” Sirois said.
He says while previous advocacy efforts have been focused on ending food insecurity altogether, this campaign’s more modest goal - cutting it in half - is not only more realistic, it’s entirely achievable if the political will exists.
“If we put the proper resources behind it, cutting food insecurity by 50 per cent is very doable,” Sirois said. “Food banks were never meant to be permanent. They were a temporary fix during the high inflation of the 1980s. Yet here we are, four decades later, and the problem is worse.”
With the federal election approaching, both MacDonald and Sirois said it’s time for voters to demand bold and concrete plans from political leaders.
