More people visiting Calgary Food Bank than ever before: report

Food banks across Canada are experiencing an overwhelming demand for their services, including right here in Calgary.

According to Food Bank Canada's annual HungerCount report, the organization recorded its highest year-over-year increase in usage in March 2023, which saw a 32 per cent increase compared to March 2022.

Meanwhile, the number of food bank visits in Canada in March 2023 was a whopping 78.5 per cent more than in March 2019.

The report points to relentless inflation as one of the reasons people who never thought they would need a food bank had to walk through the doors for the first time this year.

Calgary Food Bank president and CEO Melissa From says they're definitely seeing an increase in the need for their services.

"We're seeing more people coming to the Calgary Food Bank than we ever have before, and people needing help for longer than they have before.

"But we're here and we're helping them, and that's the good side of it."

From notes that the HungerCount 2023 Report, released on Wednesday, only looks at data from March.

"If we look back at the month of March 2023, we (at the Calgary Food Bank) had an increase in demand, and now when it's October we look at our numbers today, we still continue to see that increase in demand.

"If we just look at September 2022 to September of 2023, we're seeing about a 30 per cent increase in the folks that are coming to the Calgary Food Bank."

From says they're distributing about 700 emergency food hampers every day.

"One of the significant differences that we've seen in the clients that are coming to the Calgary Food Bank is the increase in working people, people who are saying that employment income is their primary source of revenue in their household, but they're still struggling to make ends meet."

Meanwhile, From says as much as inflation is impacting the average Calgarian, it's impacting their organization too.

"It affects us in that we perhaps see less food donated from those front-of-store bins, or from those local community food drives that are happening, because food costs more… so people might be spending the same amount of money but giving less food."

She says because the Calgary Food Bank purchases some of the food provided to clients, they too are experiencing increased grocery store prices.

"I think there's some things that you can really pull out of that report that are unique to Alberta," From said.

"We have the highest level of emigration from other provinces, we have among the highest rate of Ukrainian refugees coming into our province, as well as immigrants coming from other countries.

"It takes folks a little while to get established and to get their feet under them, so we're having to provide support to some of those populations that are coming in that perhaps some of the other provinces aren't having those same variables at play."

From encourages those who have the means to donate to do so, saying an upcoming Stuff-A-Bus campaign with Calgary Co-op and Calgary Transit is a great way to support the organization.

"If you are somebody who doesn't have enough if you're skipping meals so your kids can eat, you can't make ends meet, this is what we're here for – don't be hesitant to call to reach out and to connect with Calgary Food Bank for the support that you need."