Nearly 9 in 10 non-profits across Second Harvest’s network have seen demand for food rise over the past year.
These numbers tell a story of a charity system stretched beyond its limits. They speak to exhaustion, both for our communities — families, elders and individuals who depend on food programs — and the organizations trying to keep up.
While many non-profits are already operating beyond capacity, nearly 1 in 3 has had to turn people away, and 1 in 5 say they may have to close or reduce programs.
What else we’ve learned:
This data is just the tip of the iceberg. Every organization faces unique pressures and needs. Non-profits across Canada serve diverse communities and encounter distinct challenges. From urban centres to remote rural regions, one thing is clear: organizations on the front lines of supporting people are under strain and need help.
In many cases, these non-profits are holding each other up to stay afloat.
Across Canada, 51% of the non-profits we surveyed said they also provide support to one or more other non-profits in their community.
And 36% told us that without food from Second Harvest, they would have to cut programs.
If food was not available through Second Harvest, we would have to purchase food to feed the community. With Second Harvest's help, we are able to save thousands of dollars that can go to programming and a focus on our housing strategy.
There have been times when we’ve had to turn individuals or families away due to a shortage of food or limited resources, or limited resources of variety of cultural foods. These moments are some of the most difficult we face as a community service organization.
We serve a lot of people who pay their entire ODSP/OW on rent, so they rely on outside sources for all or most of their food. This is especially hard for people who are infirm or disabled to the degree that they cannot physically go to a food bank.
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