2014 Who’s Hungry Report Released

Working with regional partners including The Mississauga Food Bank, North York Harvest Food Bank, Life Corps Food Share and Feed the Need in Durham, volunteers interviewed almost 1000 food bank clients for the 2014 Who’s Hungry report.

We asked people why they came to a food bank for the first time. The most common reasons were because they had recently lost a job or because they had a disability.

We asked people how much income they had, if any. The average for a food bank client is $750 a month. They spend 71% of that on housing costs, leaving very little left over for transportation, clothing or food.

We asked people how they coped. Many gave up food so they could afford rent, utilities like hydro or gas. The third most common reason for skipping a meal was to be able to afford transportation – bus fare to get a job interview or doctor appointments.

The report shows that hunger amongst people with disabilities is on the rise in the GTA. Low incomes, an inadequate Ontario social assistance system combined with rising food and housing costs are forcing more people with disabilities to come to food banks to make ends meet. Many clients with disabilities are also dealing with extreme hunger. Forty-three per cent of GTA food bank clients with disabilities reported not eating for an entire day due to lack of money in the last year, compared to one per cent for Canadians as a whole.

To learn more, click here to download the 2014 Who’s Hungry Report.

NT5