Feed Nova Scotia sees 68% increase in food bank usage since 2021

Feed Nova Scotia is reporting a 68 per cent increase in Nova Scotians accessing support from their food banks since 2021, with newcomers and renters more likely to require support.

Food banks affiliated with the organization have provided groceries to at least 36,227 people between July and September of this year alone. 

That's approximately 3.4 per cent of Nova Scotia's population — the highest percentage on record for the third quarter in a row, according to Feed Nova Scotia's quarterly report. 

Harold Smith has been volunteering at the Halifax West Ecumenical Food Bank in Fairview for 30 years. He said it's never been busier. 

"There's so many immigrants now — new Canadians coming into this area — that it's increased the demand," said Smith. "And with rent prices up so high, the demand has been great." 

Feed Nova Scotia's report said 28.4 per cent of households using its food banks include people who have been living in Canada for 10 years or less. 

Abdulrazaq Qazizada immigrated to Nova Scotia from Afghanistan about a year ago with his wife and three young children. 

Back home, Qazizada said he was a lawyer and owned a law firm, but now he's starting from scratch and relies on monthly visits to the food bank to feed his family.

"Everything is new for us — new culture, new life," he said. "I studied up to a master's degree, but here I should start from the beginning. It is very difficult because I support my family. I want to work. I want to find a job." 

Rosa Mendoza is from El Salvador and came to Nova Scotia alone four years ago when she was pregnant with her daughter.

She said most of her money goes toward rent, leaving little for groceries. 

She tries to shop at stores that offer more affordable items, but said she relies on the food bank to help mitigate costs.

"If I don't have available food bank, I think [I would] have limited food," said Mendoza. 

Romaine Rhoden, director of donor relations at Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank, said approximately 40 to 50 per cent of their clients are newcomers.

"We're seeing that there's a growing need within the community," said Rhoden. "It's very difficult to start over." 

Most food bank clients are renters 

Over 71 per cent of Feed Nova Scotia clients reported living in a private rental, despite renters only accounting for 32.7 per cent of Nova Scotia households, according to the report. 

"This disproportionate representation indicates that the incomes and housing costs of renters have a significant impact on people's ability to afford other essentials," it said. 

Crystal Latter lives in a public housing rental and has been using the Halifax West Ecumenical Food Bank since 2014. 

"It's been really busy, sometimes it's chaotic," she said. "You used to be able to sit inside the food bank to get warm … now you come here and the lineup can go down this parking lot to get in." 

She said a typical grocery store haul to feed her family of six would cost over $700 and last less than two weeks.

Even living in a public housing unit, she said affording both rent and groceries for her family without visiting the food bank would be out of reach.

Alyse Hand, a spokesperson for the Department of Community Services, told CBC News in an email that the province has taken steps to address affordability and food insecurity in Nova Scotia. 

She said the department provided $2 million to Feed Nova Scotia in October, and over $16 million in funding throughout 2024 to organizations that support Nova Scotians experiencing food insecurity. 

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