Challenging Month for Canadian Food Banks Amid Holidays, Rising Demand

Increasing demand for food assistance this year, coupled with a regular spike in users during the holiday season, has strained Canadian food banks this month, the directors of multiple Canadian food bank associations say. “Christmas is always a busy time for our food banks but particularly when you add Christmas … plus the regular need throughout the month of December has been increased, it just puts even more pressure on the food banks,” said Shawna Bissell, executive director of Food Banks Alberta, a network of over 100 local organizations in the province. Organizations across the country have reported an increase in users this year. National network Food Banks Canada counted 1,935,911 visits to food banks in March—the latest data available—a 32.1 percent increase from March 2022 and a 78.5 percent jump from March 2019....