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Who’s Hungry Report 2022: A Story of a System Under Strain
In partnership, Daily Bread Food Bank and North York Harvest Food Bank have released the annual Who’s Hungry 2022 report profiling hunger, poverty, and system strain in Toronto. With a wide reach across the city, our collective network of 200 food programs serve as an early warning sign of the effectiveness of our system. This year’s report highlights the record growing levels of demand faced by food banks, with no signs of slowing down.
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During the reporting period, a record 1.68 million food bank visits were recorded in Toronto, up 16% from the previous record of 1.45 million last year. Over the past twelve months, visits have reached 1.99 million. Demand is projected to reach over two million visits by the end of 2022.
Contributing factors to the strain we are seeing include:
- Low incomes and high housing costs are pushing people to food banks
- Record inflation rates are accelerating the number of visits
- A growing and more significant number of people relying on food banks have jobs
- Of those employed, 60% reported holding a precarious job with low wages and little to no benefits
Insufficient income drives food insecurity. Most clients are trapped in deep poverty, reporting incomes that are half of Canada’s official poverty line. People on the social and economic margins are the ones using food banks.
We need systemic long-term solutions to end food insecurity. We will never solve food insecurity and poverty until the systemic issues perpetuating inequities in our communities are fixed. Poverty reduction needs to be addressed by government as the duty-bearers. We call for the following:
- Guaranteed income security and the elimination of systemic poverty
- Solutions to Toronto’s housing affordability crisis
- Mitigations for the steep increases in the cost of living
As part of North York Harvest’s commitment to providing dignified food assistance, education, advocacy, and long-term food solutions, we will continue to collaborate with the other community organizations, the government, and our partners in the private sector to achieve our vision of a community where all members are able to meet their food needs.
To read our full report, click here.
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