The Mississauga Food Bank sees increase in demand and food distribution, brought on by inflation and rising costs of living
The Mississauga Food Bank releases its annual Face of Hunger Impact Report today, sharing how Mississauga is experiencing hunger and how the community continues to come together to support its neighbours in need. In the report, you will hear from food bank users, volunteers, and partners and see the impact in numbers.
In our last fiscal year (June 2021 – May 2022), The Mississauga Food Bank continued to see the need in the community rise as inflation and lack of adequate government support left more low-income neighbours in poverty. More than 5.2 million pounds of food was distributed through The Mississauga Food Bank and its network of over 50 agencies last year, providing healthy and appropriate food for over 5.6 million meals. This is a 22% increase from the year prior.
“Vulnerable neighbours already have to make their limited resources stretch, and this year’s impact report shows that more people continue to face food insecurity. The Mississauga Food Bank saw a 50% increase in the number of food bank visits across our network last year, with food bank users making over 243,000 visits to access food,” says Meghan Nicholls, CEO. “The outpouring of support from the community enables The Mississauga Food Bank to keep up with demand in real-time as low-income neighbours are impacted the hardest by the rising costs of living.”
In addition to an increase in food distribution, more community members turned to their local neighbourhood food bank as they experienced higher prices everywhere from fueling up at the pumps to filling up grocery baskets. 45% of Mississauga residents who live below the poverty line accessed support from The Mississauga Food Bank network last year which is almost double what was seen the year prior. More than 30,000 neighbours in need accessed a food bank (including over 10,000 children) which is a 16% increase from the year prior. First-time food bank users were also on the rise, making up 24% of all food bank users.
The report also details how to advocate on behalf of hungry neighbours, sharing how the community can use their voice and their vote to bring about real change for those facing food insecurity on issues such as improving Ontario’s social assistance programs, government investment in affordable housing, and building a stronger workforce.
