HungerCount 2010 information – Niagara Region:
The annual HungerCount Survey provides national, provincial and regional-level snapshots of food bank use in Canada. The total number of separate individuals who receive groceries from food banks and other food programs are recorded during the month of March. March is chosen because it is an average month in terms of food bank use, without predictable high or low use patterns and it is used consistently to make relevant comparisons in use patterns over time. Source: Food Banks Canada, HungerCount 2010. Unpublished data provided by Food Banks Canada.
Table 9.4 Number of separate individuals assisted, March 2010
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
|
Canada |
744,055 |
703,051 |
675,735 |
794,738 |
867,948 |
Ontario |
330,491 |
318,540 |
314,258 |
374,230 |
402,056 |
Niagara |
9,037 |
8,588 |
8,752 |
11,111 |
12,254 |
Source: Food Banks Canada
From 2007 to 2010 the numbers for food bank use continued to rise; 12,254 were recorded as using a food bank in 2010 in Niagara. It is estimated that 36% of these were children under the age of 18 years.
[pull_quote align=”right”]“No person should go hungry in our region”[/pull_quote]Breakdown of those using food banks:
Household type:
- 27% of assisted households are single parent families
- 12% of assisted households are dual parent families
- 9% of assisted households are couples without children
- 51% of assisted households are composed of single people
Primary source of income:
- 10.8% of assisted households report their major source of income is employment
- 5.2% Employment Insurance
- 42.1% Ontario Works
- 27.7% Ontario Disability Support Program
- 7.4% Pension