In the buildup to the festive season, food banks and other organizations helping those in need are putting out calls for donations and assistance.
The support includes holiday food hampers, gift drives and other forms of support. Cash donations are always appreciated as they allow organizations to meet the existing needs most effectively.
These drives and initiatives are a fact of life in Canada, especially in November and December, in the weeks leading up to the holiday season.
Food banks have been a part of Canada since the first food bank in this country was established in Edmonton in 1981.
What was intended as a temporary measure, during the devastating recession in the early 1980s, has become a permanent institution in communities across Canada.
There is a need for food banks, and that need is growing. Costs and household expenses have risen much faster than incomes, and as a result, the number of people who use food banks has been increasing.
According to HungerCount 2024 statistics, food bank use in 2024 was at its highest level on record in Canada.
Of those using food banks, 18 per cent are currently employed people and 23 per cent are two-parent families. Around one in three food bank users are children.
Each of these statistics shows an increase from past years. The overall use of food banks is also on the increase.
So far, there is nothing to indicate a reversal in any of these trends.
The volunteers and organizers working with food banks deserve thanks for the work they are doing, and those who donate to these organizations are helping to meet a growing need across Canada.
But it shouldn鈥檛 be this way. In a country as rich as Canada, the concept of a food bank should be unthinkable.
Addressing this ongoing need involves paying attention to living wages, housing affordability, food security and related topics. Put simply, it is essential to address the causes and systemic factors contributing to need in this country.
None of this is easy, but in the long run, is is a better solution than the growing demand for food banks and anti-poverty services.
鈥� Black Press
