This piece was originally published in the Toronto Star.
Have you ever had to turn away someone in need?
On the day of the mayoral election, we hit a record at The Stop Community Food Centre: we served more than 290 lunches to our community — a figure so unexpectedly high that we ran out of meals.
In the 40 years we’ve been running, we’ve worked tirelessly to ensure that no one in our community goes hungry. Yet, on this day, the demand for food consumed us.
At The Stop, we use good food to bring people together. Through our food bank and our drop-in meals, we address our community’s immediate needs, and provide a dignified, welcoming experience for anyone who comes in.
But in the last three years, things have changed. The cost of living has skyrocketed and The Stop’s own data confirms that food inflation is having a serious impact on food insecurity; in 2022, the number of new visits to our food bank was 86 per cent higher than the 2015-2019 average. Every month in 2022 we saw more than a hundred new visits to our food bank — that’s more than 100 new food insecure households every month. These figures we cannot ignore. These are figures that are not slowing down.
As a non-profit which relies on donations from the public, there is only so much we can do to support our community — we need serious policy change.
Affordability in Toronto is a crisis that affects us all, but for people experiencing multiple disadvantages, the problem is far more acute. Food insecurity is often the canary in the coal mine for a host of other social issues: homelessness, social isolation, and poor health. Therefore, it is vital that swift action is taken to prevent more people from slipping into poverty and hunger.
At The Stop, from speaking to our community and our workers on the front-line, we have compiled three recommendations that Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow could take to relieve the pressures our community is facing, and build a better Toronto. And if you know anything about our work, you won’t be surprised to know our recommendations extend far beyond food, but are rather about what it takes to build inclusive and resilient communities.
While a long-term strategy for reducing homelessness and increasing housing is needed, our first recommendation calls for an immediate expansion of shelter provision to provide relief for the unhoused people in our community. Providing more beds is about more than just emergency shelter — it is a sign that Toronto cares about its most vulnerable citizens.
Secondly, the affordability of food needs to be on the agenda in Mayor Chow’s discussions with provincial and federal governments. The spiralling price of groceries has forced more people than ever to access our food bank, while also increasing our costs. At The Stop, we work hard to source high quality and nutritious food, but the cost of a hamper has risen by 11 per cent in the last six months, putting us under financial strain. This is an emergency and ongoing emergency funding is needed if food banks are to meet this challenge.
Lastly, we’re calling for a reduction in the cost of public transit and less extreme fare enforcement, which frequently targets people experiencing visible homelessness or severe poverty. If people can’t afford to get where they need to go, it creates a major barrier to accessing the support they need or their ability to sustain work. Most of our community members rely on the TTC, which is expensive and irregular. It’s time for a step toward a more equitable Toronto.
This fresh slate is an opportunity to improve the lives of low-income Torontonians and show that real action can be taken at a municipal level. A move to support people at the sharpest end of the affordability crisis will set the tone for Mayor Chow’s leadership and provide significant relief for The Stop’s community members. As demands for our services soar, change can’t wait.
Written by our Executive Director, Shae London.