Huge increase in homeowners & full-time workers using Cambridge food bank, report finds

The Cambridge Food Bank is working to ensure there is enough food on its shelves to feed the community as demand for its services soars.

A recent report found the number of households accessing the food bank was up nearly 200 per cent in the first half of 2023 compared with the first half of 2022.

Executive Director Dianne McLeod says staff are working at events on evenings and weekends to encourage people to donate.

"The food here, at least, is going out as fast as we bring it in," said McLeod. 

"We used to rely on two food drives a year – one in the fall and one in the spring – and those are certainly our major food drives. But we need to be getting donations all year round just to keep food on our shelves."

The Cambridge Food Bank released its latest community impact report on hunger in Cambridge and North Dumfries from January to June of this year and found the usage numbers are higher than ever. 

Cambridge Hunger Report by numbers January to June 2023

• 9,509 hampers distributed to participants, a 54 per cent increase over the same period in 2022.
• The food bank served:
  • 6,432 children aged 0 to 18, up 57 per cent over the same period in 2022.
  • 1,360 households, up 181 per cent over the same period in 2022. 
  • 1170 seniors aged 65 and over, up 50 per cent over the same period in 2022.
• The number of households served by the food bank rose 73 per cent to 373 
• The number of households with no income source rose 93 per cent to 432. 

Impossible choices

At the Food Bank of Waterloo Region, the statistics are similar.

Kim Wilhelm, the interim CEO, says they're hearing from people who are facing impossible choices they need to make on a daily basis.

"You know, three square meals we would all love to do…Not everyone is able to have that choice.  Are we going to eat breakfast or are we going to eat lunch today? Or maybe we're just going to skip some meals and have dinner," said Wilhelm.

"When we look at our last quarter running from April 1 to June 30, we had over 126,000 visits to a community food assistance program right here in Waterloo Region, and that's a 40 per cent increase over last year."

Like Cambridge, Waterloo Region has seen an increase in the number of full-time workers accessing the services, Wilhelm says. It's up 127 per cent, which she says is due to the fact that increased wages aren't keeping pace with the cost of living.

Food Bank of Waterloo Region statistics from April 1 and June 30, 2023:

• 2,538 households accessed a food assistance program for the first time, a 127 per cent increase over the same quarter in 2022.
• 12,774 unique households accessed a food assistance program, a 32 per cent increase over the same quarter in 2022.
• 31,433 unique individuals were supported by the Community Food Assistance Network, a  20 per cent increase over the same quarter in 2022.
• 43,164 hampers were distributed to community members, a 42 per cent increase over the same quarter in 2022.
• 245,718 meals were provided to community members, a 26 per cent increase over the same quarter in 2022.
   

Both McLeod and Wilhelm say the impossible choices food bank users make include deciding when a person might eat.

"Imagine if you're a parent and you're living on a low income, you're trying to make your food stretch as long as possible and you can access the food bank once a month for emergency food needs," said McLeod.

"But when you're spending, you know, the vast majority of your income on housing, you know that you're going to really need to make the food that you have stretch. And so what that sometimes means is mom or dad may not eat three meals a day. They may make sure their kids eat first, and then they may eat just what's left over. Or they may skip meals entirely."