Poverty continues to be the root cause of food bank use across the country including here in Lethbridge.
That, according to Food Banks Canada which released its Hunger Count 2019 Tuesday.
Despite signs of an improving economy, the report shows more than a million visits to food banks across Canada every single month.
Here in Lethbridge, 39 per cent of those relying on the Interfaith Food Bank are children and 49 per cent are single individuals. Those statistics are higher than both the provincial and national averages.
According to the most recent data, 54 per cent of people accessing the local food bank are residents on social assistance or disability supports.
Food Banks Canada says the current social safety net has huge holes in it, adding it’s not equipped to handle a changing labour market or rapidly rising costs of living.
View the full Hunger Count 2019 report here.