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Volunteers sort donations at a local food bank as demand reaches record highs across Canada, with monthly visits doubling since 2019. Photo by Klein Media /Winnipeg Sun
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Food bank usage in Canada has reached the highest level on record, with more than 2.2 million visits in a single month this year, according to Food Banks Canada’s 2025 HungerCount report. The organization says visits have doubled since 2019 and increased by 5.2% compared to last year, marking a rapid escalation in demand across the country’s 5,500 food banks and community agencies.
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“It took decades to reach one million visits in a month, and it has now taken half a decade to double that,” the national charity reported. The organization warned that poverty and hunger are increasingly “normalizing” in Canadian life.
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Growing demand from the working population
The report highlights a sharp increase in food bank use among people who are employed. Nearly one in five clients — 19.4% — now have jobs, up from 12.2% in 2019.
“That is very much reflective of the cumulative impacts of the cost of living and how that’s affected people’s purchasing power,” said Richard Matern, director of research at Food Banks Canada, in an interview with Global News.
Canadians continue to face high grocery costs, with food inflation climbing 4% in September. The report identified clients in a range of occupations — from construction workers to receptionists — who now stop at a food bank after work instead of at a grocery store.
The Winnipeg Sun’s Daily Headline News
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“It’s really shocking to see just how far people are falling behind every single month,” said Kirstin Beardsley, chief executive officer of Food Banks Canada, in a statement to CTV News. “This is becoming the new normal in Canada, and it can’t be. We need to see this number reverse next year.”
Rising numbers among newcomers and seniors
Newcomers to Canada who have been in the country for 10 years or less make up nearly 34% of food bank clients — a figure that has risen 161.5% since 2019. The report attributes this increase to precarious work conditions and lower wages. Many newcomers are also ineligible for employment insurance or provincial benefits due to restrictive eligibility rules.
Food banks cited additional challenges for temporary foreign workers and international students, including closed work permits and limited work hours. Some Ontario food banks, including those in Waterloo and Brampton, have reported having to turn away students due to surging demand.
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Seniors now account for 8.3% of food bank users, compared with 6.8% in 2019. Two-parent households with children under 18 have also increased from 18.8% to 23.1%. Both groups are struggling with housing and grocery costs that have outpaced fixed or modest incomes.
Social assistance and policy gaps
Despite the growing number of working visitors, those on social assistance or disability supports remain the largest group served by food banks, representing 40% of clients. “Grossly inadequate provincial social assistance remains the most common source of income for food bank clients,” the report said.
Food Banks Canada’s policy recommendations include modernizing employment insurance to include gig and self-employed workers, investing in affordable housing, and introducing a groceries and essentials benefit for low-income Canadians. The organization also urged governments to address food insecurity in northern communities, where costs remain especially high.
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Children and the long-term impact
Children under 18 continue to make up about one-third of all food bank users — roughly 712,000 monthly visits. While the percentage has held steady, the total number of children served has nearly doubled since before the pandemic, a 91% increase.
“Kids who go to school hungry are not focused, they aren’t attentive, they can’t have the same sorts of relationships with their friends,” Beardsley said. “Seeing school food programs made permanent is a critical step.”
Food Banks Canada’s 2025 HungerCount calls for coordinated federal and provincial action to reverse the trend, warning that rising demand has stretched the capacity of many community organizations to their limits.
With files from Postmedia
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