CBC B.C.'s Food Bank Day returns December 1
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Learn about B.C.'s food banks and who you're supporting when you make a donation to Food Banks BC.
Facts from Food Banks BC
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One out of every three food bank users is a child.
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The total number of visits to BC's food banks has increased by 57% since 2019. This increase rises to 101% in rural communities.
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When looking at who is using food banks across the country, B.C. sees some of the highest numbers of seniors, persons on disability support, renters, and people reporting full-time employment as their primary source of income.
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The top three reasons clients gave for using a food bank this year were (in order); Cost of food, low wages, and cost of housing.
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Among clients using food banks, the biggest increases in the past year have been among racialized communities, immigrants and refugees, and post-secondary students.
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B.C.'s food banks are seeing 21% more people in 2023 than 2022. In rural communities the increase in clients is 32%.
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The collective impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency weather disasters and the cost-of-living crisis have resulted in more people turning to food banks than at any point in their 40-year history in B.C.
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Ucluelet's Food Bank on the Edge is the most westerly Food Bank BC member and serves over 150 people per month.
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The most northerly member of Food Banks BC is in Fort Nelson serving over 300 people per month.
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Approximately 3,800 babies under the age of two receive help from a food bank in B.C. every month.
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Donations have dropped across the province, in some cases by over 30%. This is combined with an increase in clients and increased costs for food banks has created severe strain on all of B.C.'s food banks.
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Monetary donations enable food banks to better meet the needs of an increasingly diverse client group. This includes acquiring more culturally appropriate foods and foods that meet dietary restrictions.
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For the first time, we are seeing clients citing job income as the highest proportion of clients when asked about income source. The increase of 'working poor' food bank clients is a deeply concerning trend.
