CITY OF TORONTO DECLARES FOOD INSECURITY EMERGENCY

As food bank visits reach record-breaking highs, Mayor Olivia Chow declares food insecurity an emergency in the City of Toronto

TORONTO, Jan. 27, 2025 /CNW/ - Amid a historic hunger crisis in which more than 1 in 10 Torontonians rely on food banks, Mayor Olivia Chow has declared food insecurity an emergency in the City of Toronto. This landmark step was introduced in a City Council motion and seconded by Councillor Rachel Chernos Lin.

The motion directs the City to integrate this emergency declaration into major initiatives including the Poverty Reduction Strategy, Food Charter, and School Food Program. It emphasizes expanding the School Food Program to additional schools, with a call for the provincial government to immediately increase funding to achieve a truly universal program.

Additionally, the motion urges the federal and provincial governments to:

• Enhance income support programs such as Employment Insurance, Old Age Security, Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Program, and the Canada Disability Benefit — including indexing them to inflation.
• Invest in building and maintaining deeply affordable housing.
• Promote decent work through living wages, secure jobs, and workplace benefits.

According to the 2024 Who's Hungry report, over half of food bank clients (57%) list cost of living was their main reason for visiting a food bank. After paying rent and utilities, food bank clients have a median of just $7.78 left per person, per day to pay for food and all other essentials. Additionally, 49% of food bank clients have at least one member of their household who is employed.

"We are encouraged that this motion calls for measures that Daily Bread Food Bank has long championed," says Neil Hetherington, CEO, Daily Bread Food Bank. "By aligning this food insecurity declaration with key pillars around stronger social supports, affordable housing and decent work, the City has taken a crucial step towards advancing the right to food for all."

We applaud Mayor Chow for her commitment to bringing the universal Student Nutrition Program to life. Almost 1 in 4 Toronto food bank clients are children or youth ages 18 and under, and over 100,000 Toronto children still lack access to healthy meals in schools. With municipal and federal funding in place, we expect these numbers to improve but continue to call on the provincial government to match Toronto's funding commitments so that school meals can truly be made universal. With all levels of government united, we can ensure that no child is left behind and every student gets the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive.

Last year, Daily Bread member food banks served 3.75 million client visits – a more than 25% increase compared to the year prior, and 4.5 more times than pre-pandemic. On average, each month more than 10,000 new clients made use of emergency food bank services for the very first time. To meet the ever-growing need, Daily Bread's food purchasing budget has gone from $1.5 million pre-pandemic to an allocated budget of $29 million this fiscal year.

Meaningful change requires decisive action from all levels of government. At Daily Bread Food Bank, we will continue to advocate for critical policy changes to put an end to poverty and food insecurity in our city. We invite you to join us.

Here are three actions you can take now to help end hunger in our city:

• Demand change: Use our online tool to urge policymakers to act on hunger and poverty in Toronto.
• Support disability rights: Send a letter to the federal government calling for a stronger Canada Disability Benefit that can lift millions of Canadians with disabilities out of poverty.
• If you can, donate today to help Daily Bread Food Bank serve the unprecedented demand for food in our communities.

Learn more at dailybread.ca

SOURCE Daily Bread Food Bank

Media Contact: Eva Molina, VP, Marketing and Communications, Daily Bread Food Bank, P: 416-450-2196| E: [email protected]