HungerCount 2024 Report: Visits to Food Banks +90% since 2019, Immediate Action is Needed to Drive Change

As poverty in Canada spirals out of control, Food Banks Canada is reporting that Canada’s food bank visits have reached a grim milestone, with over two million visits in March 2024.

That’s a staggering one million monthly visits more than recorded in March 2019, which means food bank visits have almost doubled (+90%) in five years.

And, according to the newly-released Food Banks Canada HungerCount 2024 report, close to 30% of Canadian food banks report running out of food as they buckle under the unrelenting “one-two punch of housing and food inflation.”

“This unthinkable rate of growth is not something food banks, nor people in Canada, can sustain. The damage is done, and people need immediate supports to help them recover. Everyone must come to the table to solve this problem. We cannot do it alone and need help to drive change,” urges Kirstin Beardsley, Chief Executive Officer, Food Banks Canada.

The devastating report – the only research study encompassing the country’s 5,500 food banks and community organizations – highlights the pervasive impact of rapid inflation and inadequate social supports on poverty, food insecurity and hunger in Canada.

HungerCount 2024 Findings

Number of visits in March 2024	2,059,636
Percentage change from 2023	6%
Percentage change from 2019	90%

People in every region of the country are experiencing economic hardship:

• Food bank use soared over 2 million visits in March 2024, shattering Canada’s 2023 historic peak – and representing a 90% increase compared to March 2019.
• The one-two punch of housing and food inflation is hitting those with low incomes hardest.
• One-third of food bank clients are children – representing nearly 700,000 monthly visits in 2024.
• Nearly 1-in-5 food bank clients (18%) are employed, compared to roughly 1-in-10 (12%) in 2019.
• Nearly 70% of food bank clients live in market rent housing.
• Grossly inadequate Provincial social assistance remains the most common source of income for food bank clients.
• 32% of food bank clients are newcomers to Canada – who have been in the country for 10 years or less.
• To create a Canada where no one is left behind, and no one goes hungry, Canada must adopt a dual approach to address the root causes of food bank use by addressing low incomes and poverty and the skyrocketing costs of living. Learn more and join the drive for change.

Regional Findings:

Region	2024 Monthly Visits	% Change 2023-2024	% Change 2019-2024	2024 Monthly Visits Children
BC	225,605	+15.15	+80.9	70,073
AB	172,832	-0.85	+92.4	61,379
SK	52,877	-5.16	+42.1	20,473
MB*	55,487	-3.25	—	26,251
ON	736,335	+8.08	+116.8	218,308
QC	721,318	+5.65	+109	254,668
NB	32,167	+7.77	+44.5	11,074
NS	39,360	+21.11	+53.6	11,722
PEI	5,435	+29	+83.7	1,844
NL	14,236	-7.71	+33	4,139
TERR*	3,985	—	—	—

Help Food Banks Canada Drive Change: A Dual Path Toward a Better Road Ahead

“Food Banks Canada believes that a dual-path approach is the way forward. We need governments to rapidly introduce income policies that will provide much-needed relief for the millions of people struggling right now. Low-income workers, single adults, renters and communities in the North need better supports and we encourage all Canadians to help us call on governments to repair the social safety net that lies in tatters after decades of neglect. Every action gets us one step closer to a future in Canada where no one goes hungry. Help us drive change,” urges Beardsley.

About HungerCount 2024

HungerCount 2024 is the only national research study of food banks and other food programs in Canada – and was initiated by Food Banks Canada in 1989. The information provided by the report provides invaluable insight into the root causes of food insecurity and poverty issues in Canada. #HungerCount2024

About Food Banks Canada

Food Banks Canada is the leader in addressing food insecurity in Canada. Our mission is to provide national leadership to relieve hunger today and prevent hunger tomorrow in collaboration with the food bank network from coast to coast to coast. For over 40 years, food banks have been dedicated to helping Canadians living with food insecurity. Over 5,500 food banks and community organizations come together to serve our most vulnerable neighbours, who – this year – made over 2 million visits to these organizations in one month alone, according to our HungerCount report. Since 2010, Food Banks Canada has shared over $829 million in food supports and over $245 million in funding to help maximize collective impact and strengthen local capacity – while, backed by leading research, advocating for meaningful actions from governments to counter hunger and its root causes. Our vision is clear: create a Canada where no one goes hungry.

Media Support

For more information and to book interviews, access regional and local HungerCount 2024 data findings, request visuals and video, please contact debquinn@sppublicrelations.com