The cost of living is taking its toll on families as new data shows that more than a quarter of the Calgary households that access food bank supports are employed full-time. The information comes from the Calgary Food Bank’s latest research into its clients, which found that of the 173,354 emergency food hampers distributed in 2024, 57,878 were delivered to families who listed wages as their primary source of income. “Over time we have witnessed an increased number of employed people accessing the Calgary Food Bank,” said Dr. Lucy Harry, the Calgary Food Bank’s head of research, in a release. “Clients have told us that this is due to the combined impact of a rising cost of living, stagnant wages, and the prevalence of precarious work. This is experienced more acutely by certain working demographics, including newcomers, Indigenous Calgarians, single parent households and those living with disabilities.” Additionally, 32 per cent of employed Calgary Food Bank clients reported multiple jobs over the year, including many instances where they worked two different jobs at the same time. Furthermore, 65 per cent of the working population (made up of full-time and part-time working clients) said they experience “severe food insecurity.” “(This is) marked by skipping meals, reducing food intake and sometimes going a day or more without food,” officials said. Food Banks Canada reporting the same result The Calgary Food Bank says it’s not just its own clients that are struggling. Food Banks Canada reported the number of working families accessing supports have increased nationwide, from 12.1 per cent in 2019 to 18.1 per cent in 2024. To help combat this increase, the Calgary Food Bank is working to boost its output to serve 800 families each day. The agency seeks to bring that capacity up to 1,000 families per day, which will be possible when its new downtown Calgary distribution location comes online this summer.
