A new report by Daily Bread and North York Harvest reveals that four out of five new clients who visited a Toronto food bank over the last year have been living in Canada for less than five years, with over one-third not having Canadian citizenship.

The startling Who’s Hungry Report 2024 , showed that while over half (57%) of food bank clients are Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or Indigenous peoples, “We saw an increase in newcomers and refugees this year,” the report reads.

From April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, the percentage of refugee claimants using food banks doubled to 12%.

Among new clients visiting the food banks, 80% have been in Canada less than five years, and more than one-third are either temporary residents, refugee claimants, or undocumented individuals whose asylum applications have been denied but who refuse to leave the country.

Overall, 1 in 10 individuals living in Toronto rely on food banks.

“The rapid escalation of food bank usage is alarming: just two years ago, the city hit 1 million visits, and last year it reached 2 million. Based on current projections and the worsening poverty situation, food bank visits are expected to surpass 4 million by next year,” the report states.

Over the twelve months, Toronto food banks served 3.49 million visitors, which includes individuals who visited more than once. 

“This figure is higher than the City of Toronto’s entire population and could fill the Rogers Centre almost 70 times,” it states, adding, “This exponential growth in demand is a clear sign of policy failure.”

In May, Food Banks Canada gave Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government a D- in tackling poverty, having watched in horror as food bank use skyrockets across the country.