iN NUMBERS: Many British Columbians using food banks have a job

It’s November so the holiday season decor is coming out, and so are the donation bins for food banks.

Food Banks Canada recently released its Hunger Count for 2025 and it shows that more British Columbians are heading into food banks, lots of them are kids or people who have a job.

Here are the numbers: 

• 79: Per cent is the increase in total visits to food banks in B.C. between 2019 and 2025.
• 30.6: Per cent of people who went to B.C. food banks this year were kids. 
• 23.3: Per cent of people who went to B.C. food banks this year had a job.
• 75: Per cent of food bank users in B.C. rent their home. 
• 8.7: Per cent of food bank users in B.C. own a home. 
• 964: B.C. food programs participated in the 2025 Food Banks Canada Hunger Count.
• 2,000: People use West Kelowna’s Central Okanagan Food Bank each month on average. 
• 8,000: People use the Kelowna location of the Central Okanagan Food Bank each month on average.
• 70: Per cent of people who use the Central Okanagan Food Bank aren’t on any kind of social assistance. 
• 43: Per cent more people used the Central Okanagan Food Bank in 2024 compared to 2023. 
• 1.95: Million meals were provided by the Kamloops Food Bank in 2024.