{"id":26259,"date":"2022-11-03T13:58:57","date_gmt":"2022-11-03T17:58:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/campusmentalhealth.ca\/?p=26259"},"modified":"2022-11-03T13:58:57","modified_gmt":"2022-11-03T17:58:57","slug":"im-in-need-of-a-food-bank-what-do-i-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/campusmentalhealth.ca\/news\/im-in-need-of-a-food-bank-what-do-i-do\/","title":{"rendered":"I’m in need of a food bank. What do I do?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Struggling to put food on the table? Want to make a donation? We’ve answered your food bank questions<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Food bank usage in Canada is up. Way up.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In March of this year, there were nearly 1.5 million visits to food banks across the country, according to a recent report by the non-profit organization Food Banks Canada. That’s 15 per cent higher than what was seen in March 2021, and 35 per cent higher than the number of visits in March 2019.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What’s different about the rise in food bank use this year is that it comes as Canada’s unemployment rate has seen a significant decrease. In March 2022, the country’s unemployment rate sunk to 5.3 per cent \u2014 the lowest on record since data became available in 1976, according to Statistics Canada.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So what’s behind the discrepancy? The Food Banks Canada report cites high inflation, stagnant social assistance rates and the surging cost of food and housing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With more Canadians turning to food banks to feed themselves and their families, CBC News has also seen a significant number of audience questions about the resource: how to access one, give back to one \u2014 and what happens when donations aren’t enough.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n