There were more than two million visits to food banks across the country in March, up six per cent from last year and 90 per cent more than in 2019, according to a report .

The research study covered 5,100 food banks and community organizations across Canada.

“This unthinkable growth rate is not something that food banks, nor Canadians, can sustain. The damage is done and people need immediate support to help them recover. Everyone needs to come to the table to solve this problem. We can’t do it alone and need help to drive change,” said Kirstin Beardsley, CEO of Food Banks Canada, in a press release.

The report finds visits are down 3.25 per cent in Manitoba compared to March 2023, the Food Banks Canada report says. Vince Barletta, CEO of Harvest Manitoba, said in an email that’s accurate, but the Winnipeg-based organization measures households served, not unique individuals.

Based on Harvest Manitoba’s metrics, the average number of monthly visits to Manitoba food banks was 20,221 in the 2023-24 fiscal year, an increase of 29 per cent from 2022-23.

Harvest Manitoba has already seen more visits this fiscal year to date: 21,435. This is an increase of six per cent from the same period last year.