Perspective: April - June 2026
by Jane Moore
Food Insecurity
At our March 2nd general meeting, we heard from representatives from Food Banks Mississauga. The excellent presentation outlined the needs of the community, the resources available and how the delivery of those resources is carried out throughout Mississauga.
Food insecurity is the inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints. It is a serious public health problem, a marker of pervasive material deprivation, and a matter of public policy.
Many of us may have met with food insecurity through life in time of war, a need to relocate to a new country, or financial crises. We may have heard from our parents about their experiences and watched how they managed to cope.
Today, many of our members are involved with various services that provide food to people in Mississauga. We volunteer at food banks and religious based programs. We donate money and food to various community groups. We deliver food to families in need.
Food Banks Mississauga’s Annual Impact Report for 2025 outlines how food insecurity is addressed in our community. The need for food assistance has risen 20% in the past year with over 500,000 visits. The number of visits a household makes to their local food program has risen from 3-5 times per year in 2019 to 10 times per year today.
Food banks across Canada are striving to reduce food insecurity by 50% by 2030. This requires more income support programs, affordable housing, and job creation. Dropping off our donations weekly or monthly helps but we are only trying to sustain a system that appears to be unsustainable.
Coming back to our own personal experiences, we are left with one nagging question: must we accept this relatively new phenomenon of food insecurity as a day-to-day experience for our community of Mississauga and communities across Canada?
For further information, I recommend going to the Food Banks Mississauga website. Their Annual Impact Report 2025, subtitled Mobilizing in a time of Crisis is an extensive review of the work they do and their plans for supporting our city. Foodbanksmississauga.ca