One in eight Toronto children now relies on food banks as hunger crisis deepens

Toronto’s affordability crisis is taking a growing toll on children and families, with one in eight Toronto children now relying on food banks, nearly double the rate of one in 15 in 2022, according to Who’s Hungry 2026, released today by Daily Bread Food Bank.

Toronto recorded 4.1 million food bank visits in 2026, marking the second consecutive year that visits have surpassed four million and a 333 per cent increase since 2019. The latest data shows that food bank use is no longer a temporary response to financial hardship. Returning clients also now account for 84 per cent of all food bank visits, up from 47 per cent just two years ago, signaling that a growing number of people are struggling to move beyond food bank support as food and housing costs remain high.

“In a city and country as prosperous as ours, it is unacceptable that hundreds of thousands of people have to rely on charity to eat,” said Neil Hetherington, CEO of Daily Bread Food Bank. “These numbers point to a profound lack of progress in addressing the poverty and food insecurity gripping our city. When one in eight children are relying on food banks, it tells us something fundamental is broken. We cannot allow millions of visits to food banks to become an accepted feature of life in Toronto.”

The annual Who’s Hungry report is a comprehensive study on poverty and food insecurity in Toronto, drawing on data from Daily Bread’s network of 220 food banks and food programs across the city, as well as North York Harvest Food Bank.

This year’s report challenges misconceptions that food bank users are primarily outside the workforce or experiencing temporary financial hardship. Sixty-one per cent of food bank clients have a post-secondary degree or higher, while 39 per cent are employed.

“For too many Toronto families, a steady paycheque is no longer enough to put food on the table,” said Hetherington. “We’re seeing people who are working, people with post-secondary degrees and families with children turning to food banks because they simply cannot make the math work. The price of rent ends up being an empty fridge.”

The findings come as Toronto’s food banks continue to experience unprecedented demand. What was once emergency support for people experiencing a short-term crisis is increasingly becoming a recurring necessity for households struggling to stay afloat.

“Food banks can help someone navigate a difficult time, but they cannot solve an affordability crisis,” added Hetherington. “These numbers should be a wake-up call to all of us. I’m hopeful that we can change course, but we need all three levels of government to do what charities cannot: address the root causes of poverty. With the right policies and a collective commitment to action, we can build a city where families can afford to put food on the table without having to rely on charity to survive.”

Key Findings from Who’s Hungry 2026:

• 67% of parents who are food bank clients have sacrificed their own food so their children could eat.
• Children account for 25% of Daily Bread’s client base, despite only representing 18% of Toronto’s population.
• Food banks clients are left with a median of only $8.33 per person, per day after paying for housing. That’s barely enough for one round-trip TTC fare or a single load of laundry.
• 1 in 4 clients (up from 1 in 5 in 2025) spend their entire income on rent, leaving nothing for food or other essentials. 82% of clients live in unaffordable housing.
• 59% of clients missed a rent, credit, or loan payment in the past month.
• 66% of working clients have precarious jobs (contract, temporary, self-employed, casual).
• Even permanent jobs don’t pay enough: clients with permanent jobs earn a median of $20 per hour, far below Toronto’s living wage of $27.20.

As food insecurity deepens, Daily Bread is calling on governments and the public to act:

• Federal:
  • Further reform the Disability Tax Credit by broadening the definition of disability and removing barriers to access.
  • Renew the National Housing Strategy with:
    • A new Canada Renters Credit for low-income renters, to prevent people from entering homelessness;
    • A stronger Canada Housing Benefit to reduce homelessness; and, clear targets and timelines for reducing homelessness and inadequate housing.

• Provincial:
  • Establish a Shelter Allowance Reserve Fund for social assistance recipients that lose their housing to ensure they can pay expenses required to regain housing.
  • Increase the Ontario Works earned income exemption from $200 to $600 and index social assistance earned income exemptions to inflation.
  • Remove the rent-control exemption from new purpose-built rental units and enhance tenant protections against above-guideline rent increases.
• Municipal:
  • Commit to an ongoing annual investment of $100 million in the Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition program to preserve Toronto’s affordable housing stock.
  • Extend RentSafeTO to all rental units in Toronto to hold landlords accountable for adequate housing.

Members of the public can take action by:

• Visit dailybread.ca/takeaction to call on your Member of Parliament, Member of Provincial Parliament, and City Councillor to urgently adopt the recommendations in this report. 
• Raise awareness by sharing this report with your friends, family, and networks.
• Donate to or volunteer with your local food bank and mobilize your community to advocate for change.

Visit dailybread.ca/whoshungry to read the full report and policy recommendations.

To support the release of this report, and to raise awareness about food insecurity, the CN Tower in Toronto will be lit up in Daily Bread’s colours of yellow and green on November 3, 2026.