A Winnipeg shelter served a record-breaking 1,125 Thanksgiving meals during its annual holiday dinner on Monday, showcasing the generosity of Canadians -- and the growing number of people who rely on food banks.

In 2012, approximately 50 per cent of food banks in Canada saw an increase in demand, according to Food Banks Canada, the national umbrella group that represents food banks across the country.

Each month, Food Banks Canada says 93,000 people access a food bank for the first time.

"People are starting to rely on programs that provide them with a meal just because they can’t stretch a pension or social assistance or even part-time wages to cover all their needs," Marianne Cerilli, a program and policy analyst with Social Planning Council of Winnipeg, told CTV Winnipeg.

Pensioners like Edward Kuzyk say they rely on Siloam Mission because they don't have a choice.

"I'm on pension. I shouldn’t be here but I live at the Mount Royal so I sometimes run out of money. It’s a free dinner," said Kuzyk, who started working when he was 17.

"I started with Eaton's and we used to work for 40 bucks a week."

Kuzyk is not alone. Food Banks Canada says four per cent of those who rely on food banks are over 65 years of age.

Many who rely on food banks also face housing affordability challenges.

According to Canada Without Poverty, an advocacy group dedicated to eliminating poverty, approximately 3.1 million households in Canada pay more than 30 per cent of their income on housing.

Ben, who also lives on a fixed income and relies on organizations like Siloam Mission, has been struggling to find a new apartment.

"I've got one room, a bed and a fridge. That's it," he told CTV Winnipeg. "And we have to share the kitchen and bathroom."

His friend Henry says finding an apartment can be difficult on a limited fixed income.

"He only gets about a couple of hundred dollars a month in income. So how much can he afford to pay?"

Floyd Perras, Siloam Mission’s executive director, says many of the families and individuals that depend on them live "paycheck to paycheck."

"There are a lot of people that have come through shelters and into their own housing, but living on social assistance, they cannot afford a Thanksgiving meal," he said.

Siloam Mission is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and serves 1,200 meals a day.

With a report from CTV Winnipeg's Ben Miljure