The Daily Bread Food Bank’s annual report says 1-in-10 Torontonians now rely on their food banks – double the number from 2022.

With more than 2.5 million food bank visits in 2023, Daily Bread has seen a 154 per cent increase in new clients.

CEO Neil Hetherington calls the increase “absolutely absurd.”

“Every single month, if you fill the Rogers Centre seven times, that’s how many people are having to make use of the food bank … we are serving a meal once every 10 seconds, somewhere around the city,” he says.

“This is going to be the most difficult holiday season in a generation.”

For those looking to donate, Hetherington says Daily Bread’s clients are as diverse as the city itself. Along with staples like pasta, beans and rice, he says people should feel free to donate culturally specific items as well.

“We’re hopeful that people will donate food that they would love to see on their own tables,” he says.

“Maybe there’s something that’s particular to your background that you just find really an enjoyable food, please consider donating and sharing that love with somebody else who I guarantee has that same background and probably misses that food too.”

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