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Who’s Hungry Report 2024 – Trapped in Poverty: Unprecedented Hunger in Toronto
In partnership, North York Harvest Food Bank and Daily Bread Food Bank have released Who’s Hungry 2024— an annual profile of food insecurity and poverty in Toronto.
In just one year, we saw nearly one million more food bank client visits at a record-breaking 3.49 million visits. That’s more than the population of Toronto.
ACCESS THE REPORT | GET THE SNAPSHOT
Almost 155,000 new individuals started using food bank services for the first time this past year — a 222% increase compared to just two years ago and over four times pre-pandemic
levels.
Even with food bank clients reporting higher employment rates and wages, the rising costs of living are making it impossible to keep up. More people in our city, from all walks of life, are being trapped in cycles of poverty every single day.
“It isn’t about who made the right choices and it isn’t about budgeting. It’s so far beyond that. It’s about our support systems and our social safety net that have been allowed to fray to such levels that people aren’t just falling through the cracks, the ground is collapsing beneath their feet,” says Sarah Watson, North York Harvest’s Director of Community Engagement.
Key findings from the report: 
- 57% of clients cited the high cost of living as their reason for visiting the food bank
- Food bank clients have a median monthly income of $1,265 – this is just over half Toronto’s Official Poverty Line ($2,397) for a single person
- Almost 9 in 10 clients (87%) live in unaffordable housing, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities
- 58% are from single-person households
- 50% missed a meal to pay for something else
- 49% of food bank clients have at least one member of their household who is employed
Our city is at a breaking point, and so are our food banks. Food banks cannot fix food insecurity, and we can’t keep up with this demand.
We need every level of government to come to the table and finally take meaningful action to address this crisis. Our clients have made it clear what they need:
- Affordable housing
- A higher minimum wage
- Increased social assistance rates
- Newcomer supports
- Employment support
We are raising the alarm on food insecurity, and together we can be loud enough that we are impossible to ignore.
What can you do?
- Read the full report, available Here
- Share the report within your network, and tag your City Councillor, Member of Parliament and Member of Provincial Parliament.
- Join our community advocacy initiative to learn how you can stand with your neighbours and fight for change.
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