Food Banks Canada releases Poverty Report Cards, calls on elected officials to do more to address poverty and food insecurity

Waterloo Region, Ont., September 26, 2023 – Earlier today, Food Banks Canada released its first-ever Poverty Report Cards highlighting deepening food insecurity across Canada.

The Poverty Report Card is an interactive tool that shows poverty metrics and measurements at a provincial, territorial, and national level. Provinces and territories are graded based on how they compare with each other on poverty experiences and measurements, living standards, and government progress on passing anti-poverty legislation.

Nationally, the report cards show that 18.4 per cent of people are experiencing food insecurity. In Ontario, the rate is slightly higher at 19.2 per cent. In Waterloo region, about nine per cent of the population is food insecure—a number that’s based on The Food Bank of Waterloo Region’s Hunger Count data and the region’s estimated 2022 population.

“While it may seem that Waterloo region is faring better than the provincial and national rates when it comes to food insecurity, the reality is there are more than 22,000 households in our community accessing a food assistance program,” says Kim Wilhelm, interim CEO of The Food Bank of Waterloo Region, who is in Ottawa, Ont., for Food Banks Canada’s meeting of large food banks and the Poverty Report Cards release.

In August, The Food Bank saw nearly 700 households access food assistance for the first time, a 67 per cent increase over 2022, and a 35 per cent increase, year over year, in food hamper program visits.

“The Food Bank is seeing the highest need for food assistance in Waterloo region in our almost 40-year history. Sadly, this means there are more people than ever making impossible choices—buy food or heat the house, feed the kids or pay the rent,” says Wilhelm.

Wilhelm explains that there are many reasons why a person may access food support such as a sudden job loss, low income, rising food costs, or the lack of affordable housing. She also points out that while most food banks across the country are seeing an increased need for food assistance, food insecurity rates vary from province to province depending on what actions governments have taken to reduce poverty.

According to Food Banks Canada’s Poverty Report Cards, all government levels need to do more to address poverty and food insecurity—root causes of food assistance use in communities.

Wilhelm agrees that action is needed and says The Food Bank supports Food Banks Canada’s policy recommendations—temporary and long-term solutions that aim to reduce the systemic poverty that has existed for decades.

“For too long, food banks have filled the gaps that government could not. But with rapidly expanding demand for food assistance, month over month, things are not okay. In our sector, it’s becoming clear that the numbers we’re seeing aren’t sustainable and we can no longer carry on as we have in the past. Now, more than ever, we need change, we need leadership, and we need policies that address poverty and food insecurity,” says Wilhelm, adding, “With a better social security net and financial programs that keep up with the cost of living, community members won’t need to rely on food assistance programs.”

Resources

Food Banks Canada’s Poverty Report Cards

Canadian Poverty Map

Hunger in Waterloo region

Cost of Eating Well in Waterloo Region 2022

About The Food Bank of Waterloo Region

Founded in 1984, The Food Bank of Waterloo Region (The Food Bank) was the first organization of its kind in Ontario dedicated to providing emergency food. Thirty-nine years later, The Food Bank continues to evolve to meet the needs of the community, ensuring no one goes hungry. Each year, The Food Bank acquires and distributes more than five million pounds of fresh, frozen, and non-perishable food to 120+ community programs and agency partners throughout Waterloo region. Learn more at thefoodbank.ca.

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Media contact

Michelle Rickard
Manager, Marketing and Communications
The Food Bank of Waterloo Region
micheller@thefoodbank.ca