In a country as affluent as ours,  it is often overlooked that every month almost 900,000 individuals must access a food bank every month.  In BC alone, more than 100,000 must turn to a food bank to ensure that their family has enough to eat.  

While many of us are free to choose what we eat, at home or in a restaurant, these 100,000 individuals in our province will be choosing whether or not to buy groceries or pay the rent.  No one should have to make a choice.  In many families, parents choose between eating dinner and giving their portion to their children. In truth, 1 of every 3 food bank users is a child.

Also affected are single people and one-parent households.  Single parents make up 22% of the people accessing food banks even though they account for only 10% of Canadian households.  Unattached individuals make up 44% of the households helped by food banks even though they only make up 28% of the households in our country.