Working together towards a hunger free British Columbia
Food Banks BC
Hunger Report 2024
Hunger is a public health emergency in Canada. In British Columbia, the rates of food insecurity have almost doubled since 2019.
Food banks are a last resort for many households that are struggling to make ends meet. Canadian food banking is currently facing an unprecedented surge in demand, and BC food banks are struggling to keep up with this unsustainable situation.
Hunger in British Columbia
Food banks across BC are seeing unprecedented demand.
Prior to the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, food banks were experiencing a gradual downward trend in client numbers. Since 2019, the number of individuals accessing food banks has risen by 32%. Furthermore, the number of visits that households made has risen dramatically with an 81% increase from 2019 to 2024.
The data on food bank usage in BC shows a clear increase in the number of households facing food insecurity over the last five years. The data also reveals that those households are visiting food banks more often, indicating a deepening in the need for charitable hunger relief support.
Individuals Served & Number of Visits in March 2024
This graph depicts the number of individuals served and the number of visits made at BC Food Banks during the month of March from 2019 to 2024, excluding 2020. This continued growth in demand is occuring at a time when the sector is experiencing a general drop in donations, leaving many food banks asking the question, "How long can we sustain this?"
Source: Food Banks Canada 2024 HungerCount.
Implications of Food Insecurity
“It’s about the we, not the I.
If my neighbour is well,
I am well."
Islands Wellness Society Food Bank
Food insecurity impacts not only the individual and household experiencing this form of deprivation, but also their community, province and country. We also know that food insecurity, poverty and health are inextricably linked. Research shows that Canadians with higher incomes are often healthier than those with lower incomes.
The health impacts of food insecurity go beyond physical challenges associated with poor quality diets. Food insecurity is associated with mental health issues. Poverty and food insecurity can also severely restrict a person’s ability to participate in social life and to achieve gainful employment, creating a vicious cycle of poor physical, mental and social health. There is an intertwining of loneliness, poor health and food access challenges, with intensifying health consequences in later life.
Social exclusion results in a lack of social networks that ordinarily help us to mitigate poverty through sharing resources, childcare assistance, transportation, job help and material and emotional support.
The Role of Food Banks
Canada has a two-tiered food system: those that can afford to shop at grocery stores, and those that can’t.
Those that can’t afford to shop at grocers must relinquish choice and control while they rely on charitable food programs to meet the most basic of human needs: nourishment. Modern Canadian social constructs (or perceptions) typically position food insecurity and/or poverty as an individual problem, a personal failing, rather than as a systemic issue that we are all at risk of, to some degree.
Today, food banks are serving not only those entrenched in poverty, but those who have always managed to get by until now. Food programs are commonly attached to other social services, providing opportunities to connect with support workers and programs, and increase belonging in community.
Charitable food programs, including food banks, are an example of BC’s dependency on the non-profit sector to deliver essential services, bridging gaps in the public support system. Not only is the demand for services growing, but non-profits are incurring significantly higher operational expenses. Meanwhile, the number of Canadians making charitable donations has declined for the 11th year running.
While innovation, creativity, compassion and hard work are at the core of charitable food programs, they have their limits. By understanding what creates food insecurity and its disproportionate representation among vulnerable people, we can then explore ways to decrease its prevalence through programs and policies, addressing the public health impacts that poverty creates for us all.
“We are operating with the same amount of funding as in the past, but we have had a 300% client increase in the last year.”
Mayne Island Food Bank
Key Drivers of Food Insecurity in British Columbia
“Since Covid ended, inflation has been the main driver, increasing visits by 40%. [...] We are seeing more homeowners and people who got out of poverty that have slid back into it.”
Salvation Army Food Bank, Penticton
Food insecurity is a complex issue that can be tied to a number of causes and intersections.
The HungerCount data reveals that people are struggling with the cost of food and housing, and that for many, employment income is not enough to meet the cost of living.
The increasing rates of food insecurity in BC can be attributed to the following recent shifts:
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Sharp rise in inflation
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Rapid interest rate hikes
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The lack of available housing supply, particularly affordable housing
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The loss of income supports like the CERB and other one-time affordability measures
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Significant and rapid population growth without the social infrastructure ready to absorb such an influx
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A slowdown in economic activity and a rising unemployment rate
A deep dive into the economic, social and environmental drivers of food insecurity in BC provides clues about policy and program interventions that can address this growing crisis.
Policy Recommendations
The provincial government has recently enacted some policies that address food insecurity, such as providing funding for school food programs, food hubs, food banks and Indigenous food sovereignty, but more action is required.
Politicians need to think beyond their 4-year term and enact long-term solutions that best support our most vulnerable citizens to meet their basic needs through navigating an adequate social support system and providing opportunities to rise out of poverty.
When the National Advisory Council on Poverty asked how poverty should be reduced, the top priorities for Canadians as a whole included reducing the cost of food, strengthening health care, reducing taxes on households with low incomes, and reducing the cost of utilities. Among racialized people, the priorities were similar, but they also noted a need for upskilling and training opportunities.
Food Banks BC, in alignment with recommendations offered by Food Banks Canada and the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, recommends the following areas and opportunities to address food insecurity through policy.
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Increase income
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Increase food infrastructure and support food programs
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Support Indigenous food sovereignty
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Increase equity and Inclusion
“Addressing poverty requires addressing systemic inequities and revising the social norms, processes, policy decisions, and legislations that created and perpetuate the problem”
Food Banks Canada
Food Banks Canada’s 2024 Poverty Report Card gave British Columbia a D+ grade, with over 45% of British Columbians reporting that they feel worse off than last year.
The current cost of living crisis requires both short-term relief measures to alleviate inflation-related struggles, and long-term strategies to decrease the demand for social supports by improving housing, economic opportunity and healthcare.
Collectively, we can work toward a future where food banks are a thing of the past
It will require bold policy commitments from all levels of government, willing, action-orientated participation from the private sector and a resilient, well-resourced social services sector to move us toward a hunger-free British Columbia.
We are grateful to everyone who plays a part in progressing food security, social justice and poverty reduction in BC.