Food insecurity continues to surge across Manitoba, with new figures from Harvest Manitoba showing a record number of residents are turning to food banks to make ends meet.
As the organization marks its 40th year of service, Harvest Manitoba reports that 61,188 Manitobans accessed a food bank in March 2026 alone, while an average of 24,880 households relied on food bank support each month during the year. Food bank use has more than doubled over the past five years, reflecting the growing financial pressures facing families across the province.
Source: Harvest Manitoba
According to Harvest’s annual impact report, rising food, housing, and living costs are pushing more households into difficult decisions about how to stretch limited budgets. Nearly half of those accessing food banks each month are children, underscoring the growing impact on families.
Officials say the increasing need is being felt in communities across Manitoba, from Winnipeg to remote northern regions. Harvest Manitoba’s network now includes 400 food banks and community partner organizations working to provide food assistance throughout the province.
Despite the rising demand, the organization says donor support helped it deliver record levels of assistance during the past year. Harvest distributed more than 13.3 million pounds of food, including 8.75 million pounds of donated and rescued food valued at nearly $32 million. The organization also completed 214 food delivery trips to northern Manitoba, transporting almost 700,000 pounds of food to remote communities.
The report highlights a changing profile among food bank users. Harvest’s “Voices 2025” survey found more working families and people with post-secondary education are seeking help. The study also reported that 62 per cent of families surveyed said they go hungry at least once a month because they cannot afford enough food. Families with children now make up 45 per cent of food bank clients, compared with 32 per cent previously.
Looking ahead, Harvest Manitoba is planning a Manitoba Food Transformation Centre, a larger facility designed to recover, process, preserve, and distribute more surplus food. The organization says the project would allow it to significantly expand capacity as demand continues to climb.
“This was a milestone year for Harvest Manitoba,” the report states, “but it also reminded us why our work remains so important.” With more than 60,000 Manitobans now relying on food banks each month, the organization says the challenge of addressing hunger in Manitoba has never been greater.
