VANCOUVER — There are many heartbreaking tales behind the record number of Canadians using food banks as they struggle with high inflation and mounting housing costs, says a Vancouver food bank executive.
"We see parents who are skipping meals so that their children can eat. We see people who haven't eaten in days. We see seniors who haven't had produce in months," said Cynthia Boulter, chief operating officer with Greater Vancouver Food Banks.
The numbers, contained in Food Banks Canada's annual Hunger Count report, highlight how Canadians are more food insecure than ever before as governments have seemingly ignored"blaring alarm bells," the report said. More than 40 per cent of users are on provincial social assistance programs, the report said, with stagnant payments thatput most recipients under the official poverty line.
"It's one thing to look at a report filled with these big numbers," said Food Banks Canada's CEO Kirstin Beardsley."Behind every single one of these numbers is a person, and I know what it takes for someone to get to the point where they're turning to a food bank for help, and so you replicate that two million times in a single month and it's heartbreaking."
Food bank usage is a"quiet problem" where many people"suffer in silence," she said, and only widespread public outrage will drive the political courage to create meaningful change.
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