Montreal is home to about a quarter of Quebec’s population but nearly half of the people who rely on food assistance in the province, according to new figures from Moisson Montreal. The food bank released its HungerCount 2026 findings Wednesday. The organizations in its network now respond to 1,257,325 requests for food assistance every month, a record high and a 14 per cent increase from a year ago.“ Organizations are doing everything they can to help as many people as possible, but their capacity is not unlimited,” said Chantal Vézina, executive director of Moisson Montreal. Nearly 270,000 individuals are being supported in Montreal alone. The report shows the need is also becoming increasingly recurring. Two out of three food assistance organizations report a sharp increase in households coming back month after month. Half of the organizations say they have had to reduce the size of their food hampers, and one in four say they have to turn people away. One in two groups are buying food with their own budget to keep up. “When hampers get smaller, or people have to be turned away, the pressure on the network becomes very real,” said Vézina. There is also a changing profile of people seeking help, the report finds. Nearly one in four households using food hamper services has employment as its main source of income, which Moisson Montreal says shows that having a job no longer always protects against hunger. “After paying for housing, transportation and other essential expenses, many households no longer have enough income left to adequately cover groceries,” the report stated. Food banks cannot be the permanent answer to inadequate incomes, housing costs and rising essential expenses, Moisson Montreal said. It is calling to address root causes of food insecurity, along with more resources for organizations to keep responding. “On the ground, we see the daily efforts being made to preserve the quality of food hampers, find more food and welcome people with dignity, despite demand that continues to grow,” said Vézina.
