'It is the greatest system challenge that we've ever faced': Food bank operators fear donor capacity may be near its peak

Feed Ontario's 2022 ‘Hunger Report’ looks at food bank use figures between April 2021 and March 2022.

It finds that over that period more than half a million adults and children accessed an Ontario food bank — an increase of 15 per cent over the last three years.

"People are having to make incredibly difficult decisions,” said Feed Ontario Executive Director Carolyn Stewart. “Do I keep a roof over my head or do I buy food, do pay for transportation to work or do I buy my children winter clothing?"

When asked why they needed to use a food bank, nearly 46 per cent said the cost of food, and 13 per cent cited the cost of housing. Meanwhile, roughly 10 per cent said their wages were too low, or they weren't getting enough hours at work.

"It is the greatest system challenge that we've ever faced,” according to London Food Bank Co-Executive Director Glen Pearson.

Pearson said there are signs that people's capacity to donate may be nearing a peak, and that those who once donated are now having to visit a food bank.

"The donor base, you can't keep going to them and say 'Give more, give more, give more' when they too are going through inflation and the price of food and all that stuff,” he said.

As challenging as the current circumstances are, Pearson said we can expect some announcements in the near future on made-in-London solutions involving corporations and the agriculture community that could make a difference.

Pearson believes the approaches being discussed will reduce the reliance on donors and will provide healthy locally grown food. He also believes the concepts could be utilized in locations across the province.

Still, Stewart said governments at all levels must do their part to address issues like housing costs and livable social supports.

"The way to address food insecurity here in this province isn't through food-banking but rather through good public policy changes so that we make food banks unnecessary,” he said.