City food banks usage rising by single adults

According to a new report from the University of Toronto, Alberta has the highest percentage of food insecurity in the country at 28.3 per cent. Danielle McIntyre, the Executive Director with the Interfaith Food Bank, says about 1 in 5 people are not able to put food on their table. McIntyre says they are seeing more single people coming and using the food bank services.

“A lot of those are seniors and students and of course people with disabilities as well. We find in Alberta we have a lot of working people who are struggling right now as well as a lot of people who are on social assistance programs who have not been able to keep up with the inflation,” said Danielle McIntyre, Executive Director of Interfaith Food Bank Society of Lethbridge.

Mac Nichol with the Lethbridge Food Bank says that the 28 per cent mentioned in the report is not surprising.

“It is the hardest part of it all. We’ve been finding that food insecurity across multiple different populations has steadily been growing in Canada and Alberta and specifically Lethbridge over the last half a decade or so. Just less support, governmental or other organizations sometimes we keep in mind the families those that need support, but sometimes a single adult needs that help too to just help get through and it really doesn’t exist to the same level of support as others,” said Mac Nichol, Executive Director of the Lethbridge Food Bank.

Both the Interfaith and Lethbridge Food Banks say they are also lacking in donations right now.