A growing number of Calgary seniors are facing food insecurity, study says | Globalnews.ca
A new study by the Calgary Food Bank shows 64 per cent of older Calgarians using the Food Bank are doing so for the first time.
The study points to the increased cost of living, limited savings and insufficient retirement income as the reasons a growing number of seniors are facing food insecurity.
The food bank says about 5 per cent of the people who use it are seniors and that, historically, older adults experience some of the lowest levels of food insecurity in Canada.
However, data from the 2024-2025 fiscal year showed that seniors in Calgary were three times more likely to use the food bank, compared to the general population.
“In a lot of cases, these are folks who, for all intents and purposes, did everything right. They worked, they paid the mortgage, they raised their kids. Nobody planned for these levels of inflation in their retirement years,” said Melissa From, president and CEO of the Calgary Food Bank.
“So unfortunately, a lot these folks have gotten caught in the rising cost of housing and fuel and food and everything else.”
The Calgary Food Bank says data from the 2024-2025 fiscal year showed that seniors were three times more likely to use the food bank, compared to the general population.
Global News
Other findings from the study include:
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- Seventy per cent of older adults surveyed expressed concerns about their ability to afford housing in the next 12 months
- Over half were worried about paying for utility and medical expenses
- One in six older adults reported living with a health condition or disability
- Forty-eight per cent said the health condition or disability was the main reason for their retirement.
- Sixty-one per cent of retirees reported having debts the need to pay
- Eighty per cent of adults who aren’t retired said the cannot financially afford to retire with 85 per cent of them saying they have no savings.
The results of study were obtained through 30 interviews and 736 responses from surveys of older adults.
The complete report is available on the Calgary Food Bank’s website.
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