Rising prices force more Metro Vancouver families to use food banks

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As the struggle to put food on the table or gas in the car persists due to growing inflation, many Metro Vancouver residents are turning to food banks and other non-profit organizations to bridge their widening financial gap.

Murray Baker, financial empowerment manager of Family Services of Greater Vancouver, says demand for the non-profit’s free financial planning services has risen nearly 50 per cent this fiscal quarter compared to last year.

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“We’re seeing families cutting back, such as only having two meals a day instead of three, or skipping out on taking medications. It’s a dangerous place to be,” said Baker, who helps connect families with various free and low-cost resources, including food banks, to reduce household costs.

This past week, Statistics Canada reported that nearly half of Canadians, 45 per cent, say rising prices are “greatly affecting” their ability to afford day-to-day expenses — a significant jump from two years ago. In spring 2022, that figure was 33 per cent.

Grocery costs stood out as a growing concern, the Canadian Social Survey found. Twenty-three per cent of Canadians reported they were “somewhat” or “very likely” to get food or meals from community organizations over the next six months.

Data shows the problem is most pronounced among Canadian households with children, younger adults, people from lower-income groups, and people with disabilities.

Kim Savage, executive-director of the Surrey Food Bank, said her organization has seen nearly double the number of people accessing its services over the last two years.

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“We’ve gone from serving around 12,000 people a month in July of 2022 to close to 21,000 this July,” she said. “The size of the increase is something we couldn’t have prepared for.”

Savage said the food bank has been scrambling to get more food donations and volunteers to match the swelling need, including dipping into the organization’s reserve funds.

“Knowing we were struggling, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank donated 10 pallets of food to us yesterday.”

Hajira Hussain, executive-director of the Richmond Food Bank, said the demand for its services has increased more than 40 per cent in 2023.

“Inflation is making it incredibly tough for many families to afford even basic necessities. … We’re really counting on the community to continue supporting us, so we can keep meeting the needs of those who rely on us.”

Baker said two factors have been hitting families the hardest — the cost of food, and rent.

“Prices for both these things have continued to rise steadily, even as other areas of expenses have declined,” Baker said. “Families can’t say no to spending money on these items the same way they have been with their children’s extracurricular activities.”

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Baker said he has witnessed the price increases take a toll on families he is worked with.

“Parents’ stress increases as they feel they are letting down their kids, and that strain can lead to fights in their relationships and even exacerbate existing mental health and addiction issues — it’s all connected.”

To help them, non-profit financial planners, such as Baker, might refer clients to food banks or e-price-matching apps such as ReeBee and Flipp.

Another way families can save on their food bill, Baker said, is by using Too Good To Go, an app that connects people to restaurants and stores that sell unsold surplus food at discounted prices.

“Most people have phones and can make use of these applications.”

sgrochowski@postmedia.com

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