On Tuesday, November 17th, the annual Hunger Counts report was released. HungerCount is the only comprehensive annual national report on hunger and food banks used in Canada.

In March 2015, 852,137 people received food from a food bank in Canada. More than one-third of those helped were children.

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Food bank use in March was 1.3% higher compared to the same period in 2014 and 26% higher than in 2008, before the start of the global financial crisis. Half of the provinces experienced increases in food bank use in 2015. Hardest hit was Alberta, where unemployment increased by 10% between March 2014 and 2015 in the wake of the dropping price of oil. Three-quarters of food banks in this province reported an increase in use. Nationally, 54% of food banks reported an increase in the number of people requesting food assistance.

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It has now been seven years since food bank use reached a low point of 675,735 individuals in March 2008. The need for food banks spiked drastically in 2009 and has hovered at record levels ever since.

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Help share these statistics to raise awareness about hunger in Canada! Read more at foodbankscanada.ca . With the holiday season approaching, be sure to donate to your local food bank so someone less fortunate’s holiday season can be just as delicious as yours.

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