Food bank usage was up marginally across Canada this year, but the picture in Alberta was a stark contrast, with an increase of more than 23% over 2014.
According to national HungerCount statistics released today in Ottawa, Alberta experienced the highest jump nationally with a record 67,443 people accessing a food bank during the month of March. The national increase in food bank use was just 1.3%.
“Sadly, the surge was not wholly unexpected because the economic landscape in Alberta has changed drastically over the last 18 months,” says Stephanie Rigby, executive director of Alberta Food...