Majority of Manitobans accessing Harvest Manitoba services are female: report

Posted on December 5, 2024 by Peggy

A new report shows the majority of people accessing Harvest Manitoba’s food bank services are female.

According to the report, titled ‘Harvest Voices 2024,’ 68 per cent of the organization’s clients are female.

The survey, which took place from May to September 2024, also found that 50 per cent of Harvest Manitoba clients are living with a disability, 85 per cent live in rented housing, 45 per cent are employed, and 66 per cent earn $20,000 or less per year.

“I think what we’re really taking a look at is the rise in prices, as well as the dwindling purchasing power of those who have income or have income through employment. That’s making a huge difference,” said Meaghan Erbus, director of network, advocacy and education with Harvest Manitoba.

Harvest Voices 2024 also emphasizes the impact of food insecurity on families.

It found that 62 per cent of respondents have children and 47 per cent have children under the age of 18. Forty-two per cent of the food bank clients are single and 32 per cent are married, while 22 per cent of clients can’t work as they have taken on caregiver roles.

“What we discovered really is just the dynamics of our families changing,” Erbus said.

“We’ve seen an increase in our numbers over the past year, as well as nationally…In our report though, we found that more families are accessing our services.”

In the report, Harvest Manitoba noted that 50,000 people access food banks every month in Manitoba. It added that across the country, food bank usage is skyrocketing, with food capacity being reached.

To combat these issues, Harvest Voices 2024 recommends a number of solutions, including:

Working with people with lived experience in poverty when deciding on public policy.
The creation of a province-wide food security strategy.
The implementation of the Groceries and Essentials benefit proposed by Food Banks Canada.
Continued increases to minimum wage.
Improved access to low-barrier employment, training, and educational opportunities for groups overrepresented in poverty.
Increased investment in social assistance and consideration of a Livable Basic Needs Benefit.
Raising the Canadian Disability Benefit to $500 per month.
Increasing the accessibility of childcare.
Addressing the housing crisis and prioritizing the need for affordable housing.
Addressing food insecurity in northern Manitoba by increasing local food production, enhancing transportation and storage, supporting Indigenous-led strategies, and encouraging economic growth.

Erbus said despite these recent statistics, the organization is hopeful.

“There’s been a lot of dialogue with this provincial government and our previous provincial government to find ways to in which we can collaborate and talk about what needs to change in order for folks to stop having to access food banks,” she said.

Harvest Manitoba completed 649 surveys for this report. Eighty-two per cent of the surveys were done in Winnipeg, 16 per cent were completed rurally and two per cent in northern communities.

The full report can be found online.

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