unique individuals visited a food bank in 2024.
+25% increase over 2023.
+86% increase since 2019-2020.
total visits to Ontario's food banks in 2024.
+31% increase over 2023.
+134% increase since 2019-2020.
of individuals relying on food banks have jobs.
of visitors had never accessed a food bank before.
of food bank visitors are children and 71% of visitors were adults.
By The Numbers
Every region in Ontario has seen double digit increases in food bank use over the year.
Note: Year over year changes in unique visitors and visits, by region. Caution should be used when interpreting regional differences in visit data, as there is a wide variety of service models amongst food banks that impact the number of times a household can visit per month.
Understanding the root cause of food bank use
In Ontario, food bank use has reached record-highs, and food banks are struggling to keep up with the growing need in their communities.
Our research is very clear - hunger is not the result of a lack of food but rather a lack of income to afford basic necessities.
Inadequate social safety net
Poor quality jobs
Increased cost of living
CREATING IMPACT
How We Feed Ontario
Feed Ontario represents a network of more than 1,200 food banks and hunger-relief organizations across Ontario. Through our network, we deliver millions of pounds of food across Ontario, serving more than 1 million people each year. While we work to strengthen and grow the capacity of the provincial food bank network, Feed Ontario continues to advocate for evidence-based programs and solutions to make ending hunger and poverty a priority in our province, to realize our vision of an Ontario where everyone is food secure.
We make an impact in three ways:
FeedON
We are distributing food to food banks across Ontario.
Feed Ontario's food programs work in partnership with Ontario's agricultural, food, and grocery sectors to ensure food banks are stocked with the fresh, healthy food they need to support their communities. Last year, we distributed over 10 million pounds of food to help 1,200 hunger-relief organizations provide food to more than 1 million Ontarians.
Ontario food banks stretched to the limit
Each year, Feed Ontario releases a real-time look at hunger and food bank use across Ontario through the Hunger Report.
Set The Table For Tomorrow
By giving today, you’re helping ensure that no one in Ontario is left out, and that every neighbour has the dignity of a full plate and a fair chance.