The number of people in Ontario using food banks has increased significantly this year.
According to the Ontario Association of Food Banks the number of first-time users of food banks has increased 20 percent over last year.
The Ottawa food bank says that new households using its services is up 34 percent over last year. More than 50-thousand people per month use the Ottawa Food bank, and 37 percent are children.
It says the price of food is also an issue. Ottawa Public Health reported in October that the cost to feed a family of four has gone up 10 percent.
Profile of Food Bank Users in Ontario
Demographics
- Women 18+ 45%
- Post Secondary Students 4%
- Senior Citizens 4%
- First Nations Persons 6%
- New Canadians 10%
Housing Type
- 64% Renting a home
- 22.3 % Social Housing tenants
- 5.7% Homeowners
- 5.7% Livign with family or friends
- 1% Living in a shelter
- 0.8% Homeless
Family Composition
- Single Parent Families 24%
- Two Parent Families 19%
- Couples with no Children 11%
- Single People 46%
Fast Facts
- 374,698 people accessed food banks across Ontario in March 2014
- 131,144 of those are children
- 17,182 were first time users
