Montreal seeing unprecedented demand at food banks

There is an unprecedented demand for help from food banks in Montreal. That’s according to Moisson Montreal, the largest food bank in Canada.

At their warehouse in Saint-Laurent, they collect and distribute food donations to more than 300 organizations on the Island of Montreal. 

“Our agencies are telling us that demand is exploding and that the quantities that we are distributing, although it is growing, is not even close to meeting the demand. Many of them are having to, for the first time, turn away new clients. They’re calling this a crisis situation,” explained Maggie Borowiec, Director of Philanthropy at Moisson Montréal.

“This is completely unsustainable, and we are really desperate for more food and more long-term solutions because at the end of the day, we are asking ourselves why are so many more people turning to food banks?”

The 2023 Moisson Montréal Hunger Count revealed a 47 per cent increase in the number of people accessing food banks in Montreal in 2023 compared to 2022. Much of this increased demand for food is being attributed to inflation. 

“You can’t not pay your rent, you can’t not put gas in your car or take public transit. Some amounts are really fixed. What is compressible is food and that’s where people are cutting back or they’re turning to food banks,” said Borowick.

Borowick says that as part of this trend, they are noticing that more and more people working full-time are seeking food at food banks because they can’t make ends meet.

Additionally, many newcomers coming to Quebec are not getting a work permit for months or years – forcing them to seek food bank services to feed their families. 

“If we welcome newcomers and we tell them to come in but you’re not allowed to work at what obviously at some point you’re giving them no choice but to turn to a food bank and this is a very difficult situation that our agencies are seeing on a daily basis.” 

Moisson Montreal currently provides food to agencies that serve more than 145-thousand people in the region – and more than one-third of them are children. The non-profit is looking for more food companies to make more donations to keep up with the growing demand. 

“Everyone is bracing for harder times ahead because you have to keep in mind that even if inflation slows, the prices aren’t dropping. It just means that they’re going to rise less quickly. They are still rising already from a very, very high level.”

Borowiec adds that citizens can also help Moisson Montréal face this crisis with donations, no matter how small.

“If you donate $20 with the multiplier effect, we’re able to give away $300 worth of food. That’s enough to feed a family. That’s more than enough to feed a family for one week.”