Latest news with #CalgaryFoodBank
CBC
23-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Working a full-time job 'not enough' to escape food insecurity, Calgary Food Bank survey finds
Social Sharing New data from the Calgary Food Bank shows plenty of Calgarians working full-time need help filling the fridge. A report published Thursday said 37 per cent of the 1,525 food bank clients who answered a survey relied on employment as their main source of income. The survey also found 27 per cent of respondents rely on full-time employment income. The figures show there is no typical food bank client, said Calgary Food Bank president and CEO Melissa From. "You as a Calgarian might just be surprised that your friend and neighbour is using the Calgary Food Bank today," she said. Of the food bank clients that indicated they received employment income, 65 per cent said they were experiencing "severe food insecurity" — defined by Statistics Canada as skipping meals, reducing food intake and in extreme cases going days without food. "Fundamentally, they're doing everything right," said From. "They're working, they're employed, they're contributing members of society, they're paying their mortgage, they're paying their energy bills and their car payments, and at the end of the month, there's just not enough left." New survey suggests clients with full-time jobs are using Calgary Food Bank 6 hours ago Duration 1:25 Low pay, unreliable hours among key factors The study found insufficient wages, limited and inconsistent hours, and a lack of job security were all causing food insecurity among employed Calgarians. "What was most astounding was that it's everyday Calgarians who are affected by food insecurity," said Lucy Harry, the food bank's head of research. "The stories were heartbreaking." The report described how some clients were working for low pay, no benefits, or struggling to find work because of a language barrier. "Severe food insecurity" was most common among the survey respondents working while living with a disability, Indigenous workers and employed female-led single households. The survey also found that 87 per cent of respondents with full-time jobs make less than Calgary's living wage, calculated by Vibrant Communities Calgary at $24.45 an hour. According to From, both local and global economic factors are contributing to food insecurity. "We are a very rapidly growing city, and in addition to that, obviously we have some economic challenges," she said. "For us at the food bank, we're just going to go with the motto of 'be prepared for the worst, but hope for the best.'" The food bank serves 750 households a day with its hamper program, according to its latest annual report. The charity has enlisted the help of over 200 volunteers to meet that demand, while also working toward the opening of a new location in downtown Calgary with the goal of serving another 200 households. With so many Calgarians facing food insecurity, more investment and solutions are needed across the board, according to From. "We can be the temporary [solution], we can feed people and get food out the door," she said. "But levels of government, other community agencies, private sector, public sector, all need to come together to talk about solutions for a problem this big and complex." The study was created using information gathered from 30 in-depth interviews with employed food bank clients. Research results were compiled through an anonymous online survey sent to food bank clients in 2024, with a confidence interval of 95 per cent and five per cent margin of error.
CBC
22-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
New survey suggests clients with full-time jobs are using Calgary Food Bank
A Calgary Food Bank survey addressed food insecurity through an employment lens. It found that 27 per cent of respondents reported having full-time jobs.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New survey says clients with full-time jobs are using Calgary Food Bank
A Calgary Food Bank survey addressed food insecurity through an employment found that 27 per cent of respondents reported having full-time jobs.
Global News
22-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
Soaring number of Calgary Food Bank clients are working full-time jobs
A new report from the Calgary Food Bank shows a big jump in the number of working Calgarians who are using the food bank. Between Sept. 1, 2023 and Aug. 31, 2024, the Calgary Food Bank said it handed out 173,354 emergency food hampers — including 57,878 to clients who came from households with employment wages listed as a primary source of income, a 27 per cent increase from the year earlier. View image in full screen A new report from the Calgary Food Bank shows a growing number of working Calgarians are using the food bank to help put food on the table. Calgary Food Bank While unemployment or people looking for work is still the primary reason (21 per cent) that people use the food bank, it also shows that 37 per cent of food bank users now have some kind of employment income, with 27 per cent of clients working full-time. Story continues below advertisement 'It's really heartbreaking,' said Dr. Lucy Harry, head of research at the Calgary Food Bank. 'You know, traditionally work is an antidote to issues such as food insecurity, but people told us also about how it's very much tied up with the cost of living and particularly their rent … people we interviewed talked about how their rent takes up the majority of their income, and so clients are utilizing the Calgary Food Bank so they can save money on food and then put that towards their rent.' View image in full screen Dr. Lucy Harry, head of research at the Calgary Food Bank, described some of the stories she heard from clients as 'heartbreaking.' Global News 'I also interviewed some seniors who were telling me about how, particularly with the increased cost of living, they said that they anticipate that they'll be working until the day that they die — so I found those human interactions were really heartbreaking,' said Harry. View image in full screen Volunteers at the Calgary Food Bank are seen packing food hampers. Last year, the organization said it handed out 173,354 emergency food hampers, including 57,878 to clients from working households. Global News The report said the primary reasons working Calgarians are turning to the food bank are: Story continues below advertisement Insufficient wages (an average of $19.30/hr) Limited and inconsistent hours Lack of job security Belonging to an at-risk demographic Working in unstable or volatile job industries Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The most common occupations among food bank clients are sales and service jobs (29 per cent) such as cleaning, retail and food service, or in the trades, transport and construction industries (29 per cent), where they work in positions such as equipment operators, delivery or in warehouse jobs. A new report from the Calgary Food Bank said 27 per cent of clients report they are working full time and 19 per cent are working part time. Calgary Food Bank The report also reveals some other demographic trends among working Calgarians who experience 'severe food insecurity,' which the food bank defines as 'people who are skipping meals or going days without food.' The report said: 73 per cent of them are from female-led, single-parent households 81 per cent are living with a disability 77 per cent of them are Indigenous According to the food bank, the research shows many Indigenous communities are still dealing with the effects of colonization, including issues such as the unavailability of traditional foods and a decline in traditional food-sharing practices. Story continues below advertisement The report also said that 62 per cent of food bank clients who aren't Canadian citizens have a university degree or diploma, compared to 38 per cent of food bank users who are Canadian citizens and have a degree or diploma. 'I think that's one of the things we really want folks to take away from this study, is that there may be some perceptions of who typically comes to the food bank,' said Melissa From, CEO of the Calgary Food Bank. 'People may think it's just folks who are on fixed incomes or social security and social services payments and folks may think it's just the unemployed — and really, you as a Calgarian might be surprised that your friend and neighbour is using the Calgary Food Bank today.' The report was developed through in-depth interviews with 30 working food bank clients and surveys with 1,500 more.
CTV News
22-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
More working families accessing Canadian food bank supports: report
The Calgary Food Bank found that more than a quarter of its clients last year said they worked full-time. Food Banks Canada also says the number of working families seeking support have been increasing.
