Food bank use up five percent in B.C., says report
Georgia Straight
By Stephen Thomson
November 16, 2010

More than 94,300 people turned to a food bank in B.C. in March 2010, a figure that is up by five percent from the same period in 2009, according to a new report.

HungerCount 2010, an annual survey of food-bank use across the country, was released today (November 16) by the charitable group Food Banks Canada.

In B.C., children represented 30 percent—or roughly 28,300—of those who received help from a food bank in March of this year.

Those who receive social assistance represented 44 percent of the B.C. total, while those who reported employment income represented 11 percent.

Nationwide, more than 867,900 people accessed a food bank in March of this year, according to the survey. That represents an increase of 28 percent from 2008.