Rising demand for food assistance is putting added pressure on food charities across Canada, and the Windsor-Essex Food Bank Association says it’s seeing the strain locally. A new report from Second Harvest found 35 per cent of food charities surveyed across Canada have had to turn people away because of limited food or resources. The report also found one in three organizations has a waitlist for support. Second Harvest CEO Lori Nikkel says what was once considered a crisis is becoming a chronic problem. “It used to be a crisis. And I think every year we would say there’s a crisis,” Nikkel told CTV News. “But it feels like a chronic crisis now because it’s not getting any better.” Nikkel says people seeking food assistance include nurses, teachers, gig workers, and others with jobs who are struggling with the cost of living. She says there isn’t one factor driving the increase in demand, pointing to housing costs, food prices, wages, and other affordability pressures. In Windsor-Essex, the local food bank association says visits increased by 15 per cent during the first six months of 2026 compared with the same period last year. There were approximately 126,000 visits from January through June this year, compared with about 110,000 during the first six months of 2025. June Muir, president of the Windsor-Essex Food Bank Association, says the organization is seeing roughly 300 visits on some days at the UHC Hub of Opportunities. She says the increased demand is happening while food donations are down. “We went from once a week to twice a month,” Muir said, referring to how frequently some clients can receive hampers. “Food donations are down. So, it’s very difficult to keep up with the demand.” Muir says seniors and people living on fixed incomes are among those increasingly turning to food banks as they struggle to cover rent, utilities, and grocery bills. “We have become a necessity,” she said. “We want to be here for an emergency service only. But that’s not the case.” The increased demand is also affecting Thanksgiving. Muir says the Windsor-Essex Food Bank Association was unable to provide its traditional Thanksgiving turkey giveaway this year because it did not have enough turkeys. “It was very disappointing this year,” Muir said. “We had no turkeys to give out for Thanksgiving.” The lack of turkeys from the Food Bank Association comes as other community groups continue to step in to help local families. The Wyandotte Town Centre Business Improvement Association held a turkey giveaway Thursday, providing free turkeys to people in the community ahead of Thanksgiving. For Amanda Farrugia, the turkey will help bring family and friends together for a Thanksgiving meal. “It’s actually for a few of my cousins, my kids’ cousins and my family,” Farrugia said. “It’s like a Friendsgiving. So, we all get to have Thanksgiving together.” Farrugia said the cost of groceries has been difficult, and she visited a food bank the day before the giveaway. “It’s crazy. Yeah. It’s a struggle,” she said. “I had to go to a food bank yesterday, so this helps too.” She said the turkey will help feed her family, friends, and children. “It’s going to feed all these kids and my friends and everything,” Farrugia said. Michael Selwood, another turkey recipient, said the cost of buying a turkey at a grocery store makes the giveaway especially valuable. “They’re ridiculous,” Selwood said of grocery prices. “You can buy one of these in the store, you’re looking at, by the pound, probably $35 minimum.” For Selwood, the turkey means more than saving money. “Caring and friendship,” he said. “I’m going to have a couple of friends over. It means various different things. More or less just gathering and friendship.” Nikkel says food donations can help address some of the immediate pressure facing food charities, but she says the broader issue requires action on affordability. Second Harvest estimates there is enough food wasted in Canada’s food system to provide three meals a day to 17 million people, Nikkel said. She says redirecting that surplus food could help people while longer-term affordability issues are addressed. Second Harvest currently supports about 32 organizations in Windsor-Essex, Nikkel said. “We need to make sure that we redirect it while working on proper policy, proper wage policy, proper affordability tools so that people can have the money they need and just go grocery shopping and not have to access charity,” she said. Muir is encouraging people who are able to donate food or money to support local food banks as the Christmas season approaches.
