MEDIA RELEASE – OCTOBER 16, 2025 – R0121

There are more people experiencing food insecurity in Niagara than previously thought, according to a new Niagara Community Observatory (NCO) policy brief.

The brief’s author, Brock University Adjunct Professor of Political Science Joanne Heritz, says “hunger in Niagara is more pervasive than most of us realize,” because some programs supporting those who are food insecure have previously been overlooked when collecting data.

Currently, Heritz says estimates of people requiring food assistance are mainly derived from the numbers of families and individuals accessing food banks.

From 2022 to 2024, food bank use has increased 154 per cent in Pelham and 148 per cent in both Niagara-on-the-Lake and St. Catharines-Thorold.

But these estimates don’t always account for people who receive congregate meals to meet their household nutritional needs, she says. Congregate meals are breakfasts, lunches and dinners offered by religious organizations and other groups that are eaten either on site or at home.

“Organizations are doing their programs in isolation, which makes it difficult to get an idea of how pervasive hunger is across Niagara,” says Heritz. “We really don’t have a handle on the amount of resources being used, or needed, for these programs.”

The “Increasing Hunger in Niagara: The Need for Action” brief documents the supply and demand for food assistance in the region, identifies factors contributing to food insecurity and provides recommendations for reducing food insecurity.

The policy brief lists 19 organizations that co-ordinate programs offering breakfasts, lunches or dinners at various times during the week. This network of locations in Fort Erie, Niagara Falls, Port Colborne, Wainfleet, St. Catharines, Thorold and Welland collectively served more than 358,000 congregate meals in 2024.

Heritz says these pre-made meals supplement or even replace food bank assistance, since many people who attend congregate meal programs live in rooms without access to kitchen facilities that allow them to cook for themselves.

“My goal is to heighten awareness of the hundreds of thousands of congregate meals served and increases in food bank visits with the hope that this information will result in the allocation of more financial resources and affordable housing for people facing hunger in Niagara,” she says.

Housing and food security are also integrally linked, Heritz says.

“The housing crisis means increases in the cost of housing, especially for renters,” she says. “This means there is less money for food, which has increased considerably since the pandemic.”

The housing crisis and food insecurity disproportionately affect Niagara’s vulnerable populations, Heritz says.

“The unhoused, Indigenous Peoples, Black people and asylum seekers generally have lower incomes compared to the general population. Those who are housed also have a greater tendency to be renters,” she says.

The policy brief also includes recommendations for the federal, provincial and local governments, including:

• Raising the minimum wage and increasing social assistance amounts, particularly the Ontario Disability Support Program and Ontario Works.
• Monitoring congregate meal programs to get a more accurate picture of the number of food insecure people in Niagara and across Ontario.
• Funding food banks and community meals.
• Increasing the supply of affordable housing.
• Providing adequate shelter with three meals a day to meet the needs of unhoused people in Niagara.

For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

*Sarah Ackles, Communications Specialist, Brock University [email protected] or 289-241-5483 

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