Edmonton’s Meals Financial institution sees demand improve 50% in three years – Edmonton

By Mike D. Wagner Last updated Jul 17, 2021

The number of people receiving baskets from Edmonton’s Food Bank has increased 50.6 percent over the past three years.

Between July 2015 and July 2018, the number of people who took part in the bondage program rose from 13,869 to 20,892, according to the Tafel customer survey in 2018. This number does not include the people who access the board’s meal and snack programs.

“What is new to us from the 2018 survey and rather worrying is the employment and income data,” said managing director Marjorie Bencz.

“In the three years between surveys, the number of people whose incomes are less than $ 25,000 has increased by nearly 20 percent.”

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Of the 505 disability recipients surveyed for the survey, 72 percent of respondents said their household income was less than $ 25,000 in 2017. Just over 20 percent of people said their household income was between $ 25,000 and $ 40,000, and 7.5 percent said their income was above $ 40,000 a year.

When it comes to the people who serve the table, they come from all walks of life. Young people under the age of 18 make up around 40 percent of the Tafel’s customers.

LISTEN BELOW: Marjorie Bencz speaks to the 630 CHED Afternoon News

Ninety percent of those surveyed are Canadian citizens, and more than 70 percent say they have lived in Edmonton for more than three years. Nearly 43 percent of recipients had either attended or graduated from business school, college or university.

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“The person I interviewed was an electrical engineer in Egypt, very articulate and has excellent decision-making skills,” said a volunteer who interviewed people for the survey. “He is in his 50s and came to Canada three years ago. He cannot find a job, he has even offered to volunteer at a company, but no luck. His state of health deteriorates due to the increased stress. “

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The majority of food bank customers are unemployed, with 78.2 percent of people saying they lost their jobs in the past three months. That is a jump of 71 percent in 2015.

Just over 45 percent of those surveyed this year stated that they had been unemployed for more than three years. Most of the employed disabled people – 58.6 percent – work part-time.

“To change these numbers, it is crucial to provide people with the support and skills to pave the way to more stable and better-paying jobs,” said Bencz.

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Hoping to connect people with the services they need, Tafel launched a new program called Beyond Food in November 2017. The community partnership offers services such as resume creation, job interviews, job search assistance and help with securing security tickets.

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More than 300 people have used the free service since November 2017.

“We still have a lot of work to do to connect with employers in the city and expand our human resources, but we’ve got off to a good start and look forward to addressing the unmet needs of the people we serve,” said Bencz .

You can read the results of the 2018 survey here:

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