Saskatchewan food banks are continuing to see more and more visits each month. An average of 61,859 monthly visits in the province is contributing to a national trend that has seen visits to food banks increase 117 per cent since 2019. “It’s probably shocking to many Canadians to see the numbers go up again but not shocking to us so much here because we see it daily,” Laurie O’Connor, executive director of the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre, said. Food Banks Canada recently released its 2026 Hunger Count Report, an annual study that examines food bank usage across the country. “To clarify who’s using food banks, how many people are relying on our services, to allow us to understand how to better our services, how to meet the need, but also how to, which policies to advocate for, to government to reduce the need for food banks,” Kirstin Beardsley, the CEO of Food Banks Canada, said. The report also highlighted that one in five food bank clients are employed. According to Beardsley, this trend highlights concerns about the increased cost of living across the country. “It means that their incomes are not keeping pace with the cost of essentials. So many people, in the lowest income quintile, for example, are spending the majority of their take-home pay just on housing alone. And it leaves very little funds at the end of the month for fuel to get to and from work or public transportation costs or food. And so, folks are having to rely on services like food banks just to have their basic essentials,” Beardsley said. O’Connor added that at the provincial level, she has seen firsthand how growing expenses can take a significant toll on the ability to afford food. “In Saskatchewan, we have a pretty low minimum wage. And everyone is feeling the pinch, food inflation, or housing costs and, and I think that’s just been amplified since 2021. So it’s not surprising to us that folks who we might not generally think are using food banks are definitely having to come here to help support their families,” O’Connor said. Another concerning statistic highlighted that, nationally, one-third of food bank clients are children. “I think of what that does to parents when they’re unable to meet the needs of their kids, what that does in a school setting, when kids go to school without, a healthy breakfast and how able they are to focus and learn and what that means for us as a country when we’ve got a whole,” Beardsley said. O’Connor said this issue is even more troublesome at the provincial level. “Unfortunately, in Saskatchewan the number is much higher. We actually see in our food bank that requests made here, 40 per cent of those requests represent children,” O’Connor said. While the statistics can be difficult to hear, they serve an important purpose as Food Banks Canada and its local counterparts seek to combat food insecurity. “Really what we need to see is government action. It will take policies at all levels of government to make sure that fewer people in the future experience food insecurity and need food banks. And that’s what we’re advocating for in the report,” Beardsley said. O’Connor added that these numbers are useful as food banks seek to address the underlying issues that create a need for the food bank’s services. “It’s important for us to have these numbers because we can advocate for change. So, the kinds of things that have been, suggested by Food Banks Canada and that we support looking at the benefits, ensuring that there’s full access to disability benefits, a general national review of income assistance rates,” O’Connor said. Anyone looking to support their local food bank is welcome to make a monetary donation online, and O’Connor said there are additional ways to help out. “We’d love for folks to come and volunteer ... and loan us their time. It’s an important resource, and we simply wouldn’t be able to do the work we do. Of course, food donations when you’re out grocery shopping thinking about the most nutritious food possible,” O’Connor said.
