Food banks in Vancouver prepare for surge over busy Thanksgiving long weekend

A truck is seen at the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.

As families in Vancouver prepare to serve a Thanksgiving spread this long weekend, food banks are bracing themselves for a surge in visitors amid an exceptionally busy fall season.

According to Food Banks Canada, this year has seen an unprecedented demand for food aid, with more than 2 million visits nationally, and more than 225,000 visits in B.C, anticipated for the month of October alone.

“One in four Canadians actually faces food insecurity, and it’s driven by a combination of factors,” said Erin Filey Rinecki, director of development and partnerships at Food Banks Canada.

She notes several years of inflation as being the main driving force behind the uptick in demand, the pressure being put on the price of “absolutely everything” – particularly housing.

“We’re living in some economic uncertainty right now,” she said.

Rinecki said the strain has led to food banks witnessing the demographics of those seeking assistance shifting to include those working full time jobs, with 23 per cent of the clients at Food Banks Canada reporting having employment as their primary source of income.

Tariffs increasing the cost of imported goods and driving up grocery prices is only further contributing to food insecurity. A report conducted in April by Second Harvest Canada states that, with the tariff alone, Canadians are adding an extra $1,900 a year to their grocery bill.

Yet some organizations are managing to keep afloat despite the widespread economic uncertainty and onslaught of tariffs.

Due to partnerships with local farms and grocery stores like Loblaws and Costco, the Greater Vancouver Foodbank says it is able to feed thousands of people a day. Last year alone, the food bank welcomed 800,000 clients through its doors, and, according to spokesperson Gerry Skafydas, the organization is looking at reaching similar numbers as 2025 nears its end.

“We’re definitely seeing more people come into the food bank, but we are fully prepared with the amount of food that we have available to make sure that everybody has what they need,” said Skafydas.

Skafydas says the food bank received 2.4 million pounds of food last year, particularly fruits and vegetables from farmers that were donated because they didn’t meet the aesthetic guidelines for supermarkets to sell on.

Partnerships and donations are enabling the larger food banks to keep running, but for the smaller, community operations with fewer connections, the surge in customers is putting a strain on business that might prove fatal if numbers continue to rise.

“Larger infrastructure organizations, such as the greater Vancouver food bank or Food Banks Canada, have a little bit more leverage, a little bit more resources, but there are many other charities on the ground - soup kitchens, churches, faith organizations - that are also struggling as well,” says Tammara Soma, associate professor at the school of resource and environmental management at Simon Fraser University.

Soma notes how it is the smaller organizations that are typically easier to access by the general public than the larger, institutional foodbanks.

For those that have the capacity to volunteer this Thanksgiving long weekend, Rinecki suggests phoning their smaller, local food banks and simply asking how they can assist. Some organizations might need help sorting produce, while others could be looking for a driver to pick up and move the food.

Donations are welcome to all organizations, and for those looking to assist with a more long-term solution to the problem, Rinecki suggests contacting local officials and requesting change.

“Food Banks Canada is calling for the federal government to make a commitment to reduce food insecurity by 50 per cent by 2030, and so we’d like Canadians to pick up the phone, call their representatives and tell them that this is an important issue for them, and that they’d like to see movement,” said Rinecki.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Yasmin Gandham