Food Bank usage among students in Waterloo Region skyrockets

New numbers from the Food Bank of Waterloo Region shows the number of people accessing their services has increased once again.

Last month, over 23,000 people used their services, an increase of 43 per cent from October 2022. Of that number, 1,900 of them were students, marking at 219 per cent increase from the same time period.

Kim Wilhelm, the interim CEO of the Food Bank Waterloo Region, said the increase in the cost of living an affect students as much as the general population.

“Post-secondary students are facing the same cost of living expenses as other adults,” said Wilhelm. “But they also have the added financial burden of tuition costs and student debt.”

The number of new households using the food bank for the very first time is the highest demographic month to month. Wilhelm notes they have had to buy more food than previous years. She projects by the end of the fiscal year, they will spend $2 million on food to supplement the food purchases that are donated by the community, compared to the $200,000 a year before the pandemic began.

“Our community has helped us during some really difficult times, as we have been dealing with the highest need in our almost 40-year history,” she said.

The Food Bank of Waterloo Region partners with over 120 community partners, including colleges and universities.