A Brock University professor says now is the time for action on poverty and housing in Ontario, as the number of people relying on food banks has risen sharply across the Niagara region — including in Niagara-on-the-Lake, where it more than doubled in three years.
A policy brief by Brock University political science professor Joanne Heritz, released this fall, measured the increase by tracking yearly visits to Newark Neighbours, the main food bank in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Heritz’s report found 2,283 household visits to Newark Neighbours in 2024, serving 5,283 people. That’s up from 1,436 households in 2023 and 918 in 2022.
All 10 Niagara municipalities saw increased food bank visits last year, ranging from a six per cent rise in Lincoln between 2023 and 2024 to a 154 per cent jump in Pelham between 2022 and 2024.
Those numbers mirror a trend happening across the country: in Food Banks Canada’s HungerCount report for 2025, it states that food banks recorded nearly 2.2 million visits in March this year, almost double compared to what they recorded in March 2019.
Cindy Grant, manager of Newark Neighbours, confirms that the number of visits is going up.
She says this year the food bank is averaging 167 visits per month — up from 152 visits, on average, last year.
“The number of clients served by our food bank continues to increase, putting an ever-increasing demand on our volunteer team and our resources,” she said via email.
Grant and Heritz cite various reasons why more people are coming to the food banks: the price of food rising compared to people’s incomes and a lack of support from the government.
Heritz says social programs at all levels of government should be expanded to address food insecurity.
Grant says she agrees with Heritz that government benefits should go up and notes examples of it in the people she sees.
“It’s all over the map,” she said in an interview.
“It’s single moms fleeing abusive situations. It’s a single man that just can’t find a job. A lot of people on disability, a lot of people on Ontario Disability Support Program … elderly people people who just can’t work anymore and their pension isn’t cutting it.”
Heritz’s suggestions include a federal basic income for low-income households, a higher provincial minimum wage and social assistance rates through Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program, and increased housing supply at the regional level.
“There are people working several jobs at minimum wage who just can’t make ends meet,” Heritz said. “Food banks are sometimes open later in the day just to accommodate people who are working.”
Her report also examines differences between food bank use and congregate meal programs. Congregate meals, often run by religious organizations, serve ready-made meals to patrons, while food banks distribute donated food, often supported by thrift store sales.
Food banks typically require proof of need, such as income and employment details, and a brief interview. Grant said, however, that this process is not restrictive.
“We’ve never turned anybody away,” she said.
Registered clients can visit Newark Neighbours twice a month, and Grant said the food usually lasts until their next pickup.
