Key Alberta provincial statistics from HungerCount 2019:
- 89, 821 visits to a food bank in March 2019.
- 45% of food banks in Alberta reported an increase in visits.
- 38% of visits were children under the age of 18, compared to 34% nationally.
- 42.7% of visits were single households, an increase of 7% from 2018.
- Of the households accessing food banks, 19.5% cited their primary income came from employment and 33.8% are on social assistance (a decrease of 3.3% from 2018).
- 39% site social assistance or low benefits as being the main reason for accessing a food bank, 20% site low wages and 11% site unemployment or job loss.
Key points on hunger trends in Alberta:
Provincially visits to a food bank have dropped over the last 3 years, however almost half of food banks reporting in Alberta experienced an increase in visits.
The percentage of visits by children continues to be high and exceeds the national average of visits.
The number of employed Albertans accessing the food bank continues to be higher than other provinces.
Single people make up the highest percentage of those accessing the food bank, compared to those with 2 or more individuals in their family type. Single adults access has increased with the rise of basic living costs, and limited government supports available.
Read Food Banks Canada entire HungerCount 2019 here: https://hungercount.foodbankscanada.ca/
