Record-breaking number of people accessed Waterloo region's food bank in March

A record-breaking number of people needed help to put food on their tables in this community last month, The Food Bank of Waterloo Region says.

There were 735 households that sought food assistance in March for the first time ever, an 89 per cent increase over last year, the food bank said in a release Tuesday.

In total, 7,783 households, or 20,539 people, were supported by the food bank's network.

Also in March, 14,692 hampers were distributed — an increase of 45 per cent over 2022.

Kim Wilhelm, interim CEO of The Food Bank of Waterloo Region, said the numbers "paint a grim picture" of how many people in the community struggle to access food.

"The reality is there's so many people in our community who have to make impossible choices each and every day," Wilhelm told CBC News.

"Why should people have to choose between buying groceries and putting gas in their car? Why should people have to choose between buying groceries and fixing a leaky roof in their house?"

While the food bank staff knew last fall more people would likely need food assistance, Wilhelm says the most recent numbers are alarming. 

"I don't think I was expecting the numbers to grow as fast," Wilhelm said.

Cambridge Food Bank 'extremely busy'

The Cambridge Food Bank has seen a steady rise in people accessing its services since January, executive director Dianne McLeod says.

In March 2022, the food bank saw 1,000 households. Last month, that number rose to 1,600. That's the highest number of people who have visited the food bank in a month in its 38-year history.

"We have been extremely busy — busier than in my 21 years here for sure. I've never seen it like this at all," McLeod said. 

She says there is an "incredible amount" of international students who are seeking help from the food bank.

From Jan. 1 until this week, the Cambridge Food Bank has served 2,649 unique families, of which 839 had never used a food bank in the region before. 

"I never thought I would say this, but it's been busier than even during the pandemic," McLeod said. "The numbers continue to grow month after month. It's clear that Canadians are experiencing a food security crisis."

Reports highlight growing need

The increase in people accessing the food bank is not surprising given recent reports from groups like Feed Ontario, an organization made up of 1,200 partner food banks in the province.

In its Hunger Report released last November, the group said more than 587,000 people in Ontario accessed a food bank between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022.

That was a 15 per cent increase from the November 2021 Hunger Report.

The report warned it's possible food banks may not be able to keep up.

"Their resources are finite and there is concern that the need could outpace the capacity of the provincial food bank network," the report said.

In October 2022, Food Banks Canada released a similar report that showed a record number of people used food banks across the country in the past year.

Food banks 'not a long term solution'

Wilhelm says the people accessing The Food Bank of Waterloo Region's network of programs are from "all walks of life" and include people who have jobs, even full-time employment, but struggle financially.

"We're seeing over 60 per cent of individuals also who are in rentals in the community and we've talked over the last number of years about the high price of rentals in our community, in our province," she said.

"People are being forced to pay for these high rentals because there's no other choice of places for them to live."

Wilhelm says people in the community have been very generous with their time and money to support the food bank, and there are more than 120 programs and partners with hundreds of volunteers who help people get the food they need.

While that support is needed and appreciated, she said there is more that could be done, such as increasing the amount of money people receive through Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program. Investment in affordable housing is also important, she said.

Wilhelm noted food banks were created during the recession in the 1980s and were supposed to be temporary.

The food bank is "not a long-term solution," she said.

"We need to work as a community for sure, but also work at a provincial and national level and there's several policy recommendations that the provincial government can implement that will help to combat poverty and food insecurity."