[News] Record number of working Canadians now relying on food banks

It has been well-documented that food bank usage is on the rise across Canada, but the biggest shock may be that people who recently considered themselves financially stable now make up a significant percentage of users.

In Manitoba, 31 per cent of food bank users are employed, according to a new report from Harvest Manitoba’s Harvest Voices.

“Rising housing costs, childcare shortages, and wages that don’t match the cost of living are putting enormous pressure on households,” said Meaghan Erbus, director of network, advocacy and education at Harvest Manitoba.

The report found that 35 per cent of food bank users in Manitoba are graduates from a post-secondary institution.

Inflation, lack of affordable housing, insufficient social assistance and low wages are factors driving food bank use, the Harvest Manitoba report shows.

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