'Substantial influx' of Ukrainians displaced by war relying on Winnipeg food banks: Harvest report

One out of every two people who accessed a Winnipeg food bank for the first time so far this year was a Ukrainian displaced by war — part of a broader provincial trend that suggests many who rely on food banks in Manitoba are new to Canada.

That's according to Harvest Manitoba's latest annual report, which tracks demographics of food bank clients in the province — many of whom are struggling to get by amid "soaring grocery prices and inflation," the report says.

"The numbers are huge, and unfortunately I am not surprised to hear that," Yulia Zmerzla, executive director of the  Oseredok Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre in Winnipeg, said in response to the findings.

The latest Harvest Manitoba report, released Thursday, found the number of people using food banks has risen by 150 per cent since 2019, with a 30 per cent increase since just last year.

It also found the number of employed people relying on food banks jumped sharply this year.

In 2021, Harvest Manitoba said 16 per cent of food bank users had jobs. That had climbed to 24 per cent by 2022, and this year, 41 per cent were employed.

Of about 500 clients surveyed between May and September, there was also a "substantial influx" in clients who are newcomers — with the highest number from Ukraine, followed by Nigeria and Eritrea.

More than one in four food bank clients in Manitoba were newcomers to Canada, the survey found, and half of all people using a food bank for the first time in Winnipeg were Ukrainians who fled to Canada when Russian forces invaded their country in February 2022. 

"We really had to look at our operations and pivot to be able to not only accommodate the influx, but also take into consideration the different needs that a new to Canada person might need," said Meaghan Erbus, director of network advocacy and education at Harvest Manitoba, the provincewide food bank network.

"Often folks come to us when they [have] exhausted all of their resources ... not unlike folks that are fleeing horrible circumstances like war."

Harvest Manitoba has adapted by translating its client intake forms into Ukrainian to help minimize language barriers, and also offers those forms online, Erbus said.

They also reached out to the Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations and the Manitoba chapter of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress to help co-ordinate food services and connect newcomers with other resources like housing, furniture and more, she said.

'Core of the problem'

The Harvest report also found half of those surveyed also said they went hungry at least once a month this year because they couldn't afford to buy enough food to feed their family.

Zmerzla said the trends highlighted in the report are realities for many Ukrainian newcomers — often due to language barriers that make it challenging for some to find work.

People who were professors, doctors or worked in other professions in Ukraine are struggling to find jobs here because of that, she said.

"What we see here at the centre is that most [Ukrainian newcomers] don't know English or know very little," said Zmerzla. "I see this as the core of the problem."

The Oseredok Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre, at 184 Alexander Ave., has tried to counteract the problem by offering daily English language courses.

They've offered half a dozen courses so far, with 40 students in each. By the time they graduate, they're more employable, said Zmerzla.

"This is what we are proud of, but again, it's not enough."

The Harvest Manitoba data says about a third (32 per cent) of Ukrainian newcomers using food banks are current post-secondary students, or arrived with some post-secondary education.

That's caused an overall shift, with a higher proportion of food bank users now having higher levels of education than in past years.

The report includes vignettes from Ukrainian newcomers like Veronika, a mother of two who has a degree in economics and worked as an accountant in Ukraine, but faced challenges getting work in her field here. Her husband remains in Ukraine, where he's in the military.

Veronika's dream of continuing her accounting career here is hindered by an absence of accreditation programs tailored to newcomers like her, on top of financial and time constraints, Harvest's report says.

She now has a job as a forklift operator, but still relies on food banks because her salary doesn't cover her family's expenses.

"They had to flee war, they've left everything behind them … and then they come here and the credentials that they have [aren't recognized]," said Erbus.

Harvest would like to see governments improve newcomer settlement programs to consider certification of foreign credentials, "so that when they come to Canada they can find employment quicker," she said.

Harvest is also calling on government "to increase settlement support services all across the board," said Erbus.