Canada's 'new normal': Food bank visits have doubled since 2019, with spikes from newcomers and employed people

Food banks recorded an unprecedented 2.2 million visits in a single month, according to Food Banks Canada's 2025 HungerCount

As the cost of essentials such as shelter and food has increased in Canada, so have the number of employed people, children, two-parent households, recent immigrants and seniors who turn to food banks. In March alone, food banks recorded an unprecedented 2.2 million visits, according to Food Banks Canada’s 2025 HungerCount .

Food bank usage has doubled since 2019 and is 5.2 per cent higher than it was last year. “It took decades to reach one million visits in a month, and it has now taken half a decade to double that,” Food Banks Canada notes.

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According to the report, which encompasses the country’s 5,500 food banks and community organizati