Edmonton’s Food Bank releases data on why recipients are using their services

Edmonton’s Food Bank is seeing an increased demand for their food hampers. To gain a better understanding, they conducted a survey to learn why hamper recipients are using their services.

Daria Timokhova is a Ukrainian Newcomer. She turned to Edmonton’s Food Bank when she first arrived in Canada

“When I arrived in Canada, this was a very hard time because I arrived alone with my two children, and I don’t have family or parents in Canada,” Timokhova.

Edmonton has become home to many Ukrainians fleeing the war – 16 per cent of the nearly 500 survey recipients are Ukrainians needing that helping hand.

“I used Edmonton’s Food Bank, and they really helped me because it was a lot of food and snacks for my kids.”

Edmonton’s Food Bank says the survey results are alarming. More than one quarter (27 per cent) of those surveyed are working — but are just scraping by — and are overall spending more on their basic need compared to two years ago.

“People that are working and using the food bank are working for low wages. Another common theme is they don’t have benefits or paid sick days, so when they run into some sort of short-term crisis in their lives, then they end up turning to the food bank,” said Marjorie Bencz, the Executive Director of Edmonton’s Food Bank.

The survey also revealed 75 per cent of food hamper users rent their homes at market price, meaning they aren’t in subsidized housing, or receiving any sort of housing relief.

Of the respondents, 86 per cent do not have any savings, and when money runs low, food is one of the things they will cut back on.

“I think all of this is alarming to me because of the number of people who are needing our services. At the same time, I think having the data in this report provides a little bit of hope in that if we engage the right people in those conversations, maybe we can work together as a community or with governments to reduce some of the barriers and challenges that people are experiencing,” said Bencz.

“That’s why it’s so important to do reports like this, and engage with the community and these conversations, because we know people need more help than just from the food bank. Giving them a food hamper is important, but its also important that we help people have a beter quality of life.”

In August alone, Edmonton’s Food Bank served more than 37,000 people. They say they are using these new findings to learn what they can do differently to make people’s lives a little bit better.

The Food Bank was there for Daria and her family during difficult times. Now, she is helping those who need a helping hand at the food bank’s call centre.

“I really really appreciate Edmonton’s Food Bank because I started volunteering and after one month I couldn’t believe they offered a job for me.”