More than 60K people access food banks in Manitoba each month, report says

ECONOMY More than 60K people access food banks in Manitoba each month, report says By Tavi Dhillon Global News Posted September 24, 2026 6:17 pm 3 min read View image in full screen Average monthly demand for Harvest Manitoba's food bank service has surged to over 60,000 people each month, it said in an annual report for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Randall Paul / Global News LEAVE A COMMENT SHARE THIS ITEM ON FACEBOOK SHARE THIS ITEM ON X SEND THIS PAGE TO SOMEONE VIA EMAIL SEE MORE SHARING OPTIONS DESCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE INCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE Food bank use is rising in Manitoba, with an average of more than 60,000 people accessing Harvest Manitoba services monthly, a report from the organization said. In addition to the historic demand, which has doubled in the past five years, a record-setting amount of donations were received in the 2025-2026 fiscal year, Harvest Manitoba’s annual report said. More than $14.8-million was used by the not-for-profit to support its clients and programming. “It takes a province to feed a province,” Vince Barletta, president and CEO at Harvest Manitoba, told Global News in an interview. “Even though the need is bigger than ever, so is the generosity of Manitobans.” The report said more than 13 million lbs. of food were distributed by Harvest Manitoba in the last fiscal year – of that, approximately 8.7 million lbs. were received as donations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT People from all walks of life, including families, those with jobs and seniors, have been visiting food banks, Barletta said. “The need for food security programs is more broadly based than ever before, and there’s people truly in every community and every neighbourhood that are dealing with food insecurity,” he continued. Get breaking Montreal news Get breaking Montreal news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won't miss a trending story. SIGN UP FOR BREAKING MONTREAL NEWSLETTER GET STARTED BY PROVIDING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO GLOBAL NEWS' TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY. “Food banks have become, sadly, a way of life for thousands of Manitoba families.” Carinna D’Abramo Rosales is the co-director of Supporting Employment and Economic Development (SEED) Winnipeg, a nonprofit dedicated to helping low-income Manitobans achieve financial empowerment. “What we’re seeing is just this level of desperation and need for other and additional services to help them along their way,” Rosales…