British ColumbiaIt comes as the growth in grocery costs has consistently outpaced the annual inflation rate across the country, with Statistics Canada saying they have been outpacing headline inflation for nine months in a row .’People are really struggling,’ says Family Services of Greater Vancouver financial empowerment managerCBC News · Posted: Nov 30, 2025 8:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 6 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.A growing number of British Columbians are being forced to use food banks — in part due to inflation’s impact on the cost of food, says one expert. (Ben Nelms/CBC)British Columbians from all walks of life are accessing food banks and financial services at a high rate as the cost of living remains high in the province, according to a pair of experts.Murray Baker, manager of financial empowerment with Family Services of Greater Vancouver, said more people from higher income brackets are using his organization’s services because they can’t afford basic needs — despite being employed full-time. “People are really struggling,” he said. The two areas that he said are impacting people the most are housing and food security — the latter of which is forcing more and more people to use food banks to put dinner on the table. Join CBC to help Make the Season Kind for Canadians this winterIt comes as the growth in grocery costs has consistently outpaced the annual inflation rate across the country, with Statistics Canada saying they have been outpacing headline inflation for nine months in a row.On Vancouver Island, Saanich Peninsula Lions Food Bank operations manager Tyson Elder said they’ve been seeing more young families, seniors and newcomers accessing their services. “Right now, everybody is in need,” he said. Elder said that, while the food bank was able to meet demand at this point in time, he noted that food bank use tends to increase when emergencies happen. “You never know what’s around the corner.”LISTEN | What’s behind the growing demand at B.C. food banks:The Early Edition8:10Food banks in B.C. experiencing growing demand for servicesAcross the province food banks have been experiencing a growing demand in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic. Ahead of CBC’s annual Make The Season Kind fundraiser, CBC story producer Rachel Adams looked into what’s behind the growing need.Demand has been particularly high for the food bank’s Christmas hamper program, for which they stopped accepting new registrations a week sooner than planned. “We’ve reached a point where we’re having to turn people away. It’s heartbreaking,” Elder said. However, he said they are still able to get food to people — just not hampers with extras like toys for the holidays. The cost of living in 2025 has forced many British Columbians to access food bank services. (Ben Nelms/CBC)Baker said the increased demand for food bank access and financial services support is part of the ongoing fallout from the pandemic, when some people lost jobs and inflation rose considerably. For example, according to the Bank of Canada’s inflation calculator, a basket of groceries that cost $100 in 2019, pre-pandemic, would cost $121 today — a 21 per cent increase. For comparison, the increase from 2013 to 2019 was about 11 per cent. Elder said he expects demand on his food bank to persist in the coming months, after a busy summer and autumn. He said donations are much-needed — whether they come in the form of food, money or time. “A lot of food banks are looking for volunteers,” Elder said. “Volunteers are our lifeblood. That’s what keeps food banks going, are the volunteers who dedicate their time.”CBC B.C. is hosting its annual Make the Season Kind campaign in support of Food Banks in B.C. on Friday, Dec. 5, featuring a day full of special programming. Anyone wishing to make a donation as part of the campaign can go to cbc.ca/kindbc, where a drop-down menu will direct your donation to any of the 111 food banks that are part of Food Banks B.C. With files from Rachel Adams
More and more British Columbians dealing with food insecurity amid affordability crisis
