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Food bank usage was on the rise before pandemic hit: report

The number of Ontarians relying on food banks was already climbing before the COVID-19 pandemic began and has continued to surge in the months that followed, according to a new report from Feed Ontario.

The organization released its 2020 Hunger Report on Monday, revealing the situation has become so much more dire that one out of two food bank users worry they will lose their home within the next two to six months.

The 42-page document breaks down the affect the global health crisis has had on food bank use and vulnerable populations, in addition to offering an analysis of usage at 130 member food banks.

In the lead up to the pandemic, 537,575 people accessed food banks, a 5.3 per cent increase compared to the year prior. Of those who went to the food bank between April 1, 2019 and March 21, 2020, 65.7 per cent cited social assistance as their primary source of income and 86 per cent of visitors were rental or social housing tenants who spend the bulk of their monthly income on rent.

There was also a 44 per cent rise in the number of employed Ontarians going to the food bank over the past four years, the report states.

The primary reasons cited for food bank use are insufficient social assistance programs, precarious employment, and the skyrocketing cost of housing.

COVID-19 and the lockdowns that led to widespread job loss have only made the situation worse, according to Feed Ontario. During the first four months of the pandemic, the number of first-time visitors to food banks in Ontario jumped by 26.5 per cent.

"Government intervention and support, like CERB and the moratorium on evictions, played a significant role in helping families avoid financial catastrophe and homelessness throughout the spring and summer; however, as many of these supports come to an end, food banks have started to see an increasing number of people turning to them for assistance,” Carolyn Stewart, executive director of Feed Ontario, said in a statement. “In comparing September 2019 to September 2020, our hunger-relief network has already seen a 10 per cent increase in food bank visits across the province."

A survey of nearly 200 food bank users done in September found 93 per cent borrowed money from friends and family, accessed payday loans, or used a credit card to pay for monthly necessities since the pandemic began. Half of those surveyed said they are worried about being evicted or defaulting on their mortgage in the next two to six months. Respondents specified the three top expenses that cause them to miss meals are rent, utilities, and phone/internet.

“What makes this incredibly concerning is that as the pandemic continues it will put progressively more stress on low-income people as they incur larger debts and work to stretch every dollar even further," said Stewart.

In an effort to meet surging demand due to the pandemic, 81 per cent of Ontario's food banks implemented a new emergency food support program and 77 per cent increased the amount of food provided to reduce the number of visits.

Feed Ontario ended its annual report with four recommendations aimed at helping Ontario's hardest-hit residents. The organization is calling on the provincial government to reinstate the emergency benefit for social assistance recipients, provide immediate rent relief to low-income tenants, align Ontario’s social assistance rates with the national standard set by CERB, and develop better labour laws and policies such as the reinstatement of paid sick days, equal pay for equal work, and quality jobs with a livable wage.

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