Food bank usage remains near record highs

REGINA – It can be a tough pill to swallow.

“When I first started coming (to the Regina Foodbank) I had a perception in my mind of what it was,” said Ashley Arnault, whose family has been a food bank client for a decade.

They’re not alone.

An annual Hunger Count by Food Banks Canada shows in March 2013, food banks assisted 833,000 Canadians.

“Food bank use is a disturbing 25 per cent higher than it was just five years ago,” said Katharine Schmidt, Food Banks Canada executive director.

The report finds low income jobs are one of the biggest culprits. In addition? The lack of affordable housing.

“That’s adversely affected those on fixed incomes, people on minimum wage, or simply where there isn’t adequate household income,” said Steve Compton, CEO of the Regina Foodbank.

Usage in Regina did fall nearly 9 per cent from 2012, twice the improvement nationwide.

What stands out is the number of families. 44 per cent of food bank users in Regina were under the age of 18.

The changing face of hunger has also hit students.

The University of Regina has its own version of a food bank, the Community Cupboard, which is filled up every couple of weeks.

But the usage is so high, after two days, it’s nearly empty.

“It’s that important decision we dont want them to be having to make,” said Nathan Sgrazzutti of the U of R’s students’ union. “Am I dealing with right now or my future? The future as in their education, the right now as in, I’m hungry.”

The annual HungerCount study provides one of the most up-to-date national indicators of poverty.

This year’s report found that more than half of those turning to food banks are families with children.

Twelve per cent of households asking for help were currently employed, while another five per cent were recently employed.

Eleven per cent of those using food banks self-identify as First Nations, Metis or Inuit, and another 11 per cent are new immigrants to Canada.

With files from The Canadian Press