Fewer post-secondary students using local food bank services
Posted Aug 8, 2025 06:33:59 AM.
Last Updated Aug 8, 2025 10:34:00 AM.
With the new school year less than a month away, new data from the local food bank is showing that the number of post-secondary students using their services is falling.
In June, the Food Bank of Waterloo Region said that 748 people who identified as post-secondary students used their food assistance program, showing a decrease of 26 per cent compared to last year.
Kim Wilhelm, the CEO of the Food Bank of Waterloo Region, said that while the numbers are down, they do not measure whether students are domestic or international.
“What we can say is that the supports that we have set up within our community and the partnerships that we have with our post-secondary institutions are working and that it is allowing students to rely on food assistance programs less often,” said Wilhelm.
While the number of post-secondary students using food assistance has fallen, the same can’t be said for the rest of the community. In the same month, the food bank saw over 25,000 people using their services over 54,000 times, an average of at least twice a month for some people.
“People continue to be stretched when they’re out at the grocery store and are forced to make impossible choices every day,” said Wilhelm.
The same sentiment can be felt at other food banks across the region, including in Cambridge.
“We continue to see a growing need across our entire community, including individuals and families from diverse backgrounds,” said Diane McLeod, the CEO of the Cambridge Food Bank, in a statement to 570 NewsRadio. “At the Cambridge Food Bank, our priority is to ensure that everyone who comes through our doors is treated with dignity and has access to the nutritious food and support they need.”
Looking ahead to the upcoming school year, Wilhelm said they do typically see an increase in food assistance programs in the fall, coinciding with colder weather. Once students go back to class, they are expecting a small bump as well.
When it comes to younger children, Wilhelm says that they continue to serve children in a variety of programs and that one in three people who use their services is under the age of 18. In an update to the Full Bellies, Happy Hearts Campaign, she says they have officially reached the halfway mark, but there is still a lot to go before the end of August.
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