06/04/2026
Ontario received a D- on Food Banks Canada's Poverty Report Card.
With failing grades for housing affordability, social assistance, and legislative progress, it's not hard to understand why food bank use continues to rise.
At the Alliston Food Bank, these aren't just statistics. They're the seniors choosing between groceries and medication, the families spending so much on housing that there's little left for food, and the people on fixed incomes who simply can't keep up with rising costs.
One of the biggest misconceptions about food banks is that people are here because they've made poor financial decisions.
The reality is very different.
Many of the people we serve are working, budgeting carefully, and making sacrifices every day. They're skipping things for themselves, stretching every dollar, and doing everything they can to make the numbers work.
Yet for many households, the cost of simply existing in Ontario has become overwhelming.
We regularly meet people who never imagined they would need a food bank, people who are employed, own homes, and have spent their lives supporting themselves and others.
Hunger isn't always the result of poor choices. Increasingly, it's the result of impossible math.
