As bad economic news and layoffs continue to mount amid the downturn in Alberta, food bank usage in the province and in Calgary is soaring, with increases far outpacing the national average. The Herald’s Doug Hintz offers some numbers on the escalating demand.
1.3%
Increase in food bank usage across Canada in March 2015 compared with March 2014.
23.4%
Increase in the number of people accessing food banks in Alberta in March 2015 compared with the same month a year earlier. The Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank also reported a 23 per cent increase in demand in the same period.
Volunteers like Shawn Hanson help out the Calgary Food Bank, as a new food bank report came out today showing an increased need in Alberta for food donations.
75%
Number of Alberta food banks that reported an increase in demand in 2015, including in Calgary.
10%
Increase in unemployment in Alberta between March 2104 and March 2015.
49,766
Number of Albertans who accessed a food bank in March 2014.
A new food bank report came out today showing an increased need in Alberta for food donations at the Calgary Food Bank.
67,444
Number of Albertans who accessed a food bank in March 2015, an increase of 17,678 people in one year. Of that total, 43.2 per cent are children.
12,614
Number of Calgarians who accessed the food bank in March 2014, up from 10,693 in the same month a year earlier.
6,043
Number of Calgarians assisted by one of the 37 partner agencies of the Calgary food bank in March 2015. That’s in addition to the number helped by the food bank.
Volunteers Shawn Hanson and Sandy Jones help out the Calgary Food Bank on Nov. 17, 2015.
132,469
Number of Calgarians served by the Calgary food bank in 2014. That works out to about one out of every 11 city residents, 41 per cent of whom are children.
141,271
Number of Calgarians assisted by the food bank in the 2015 fiscal year that ended in September, an increase of 8,802 people in a year. In October, the food bank reported demand had increased by a further 20 per cent.
28.7%
Percentage of Albertans accessing a food bank who report they are working, more than double the national average of 11.6 per cent.
Volunteers help out the Calgary Food Bank, as a new food bank report came out today showing an increased need in Alberta for food donations.
13 million
Pounds of food distributed by the Calgary food bank in the past year.
10%
Percentage of Alberta food banks that reported running out of food at some point in the past year, forcing half to purchase more food and one-third to reduce the size of the hampers they offer.
