Food Security is About Justice—Not Just Hunger
Between 2021 and 2023, 18.3% of households in Grey Bruce experienced food insecurity, an increase from 17.5% in 2020. At the same time, the cost of groceries has become unaffordable for many families. In 2024, a family of four required approximately $1,250 per month for groceries alone.
These are not just statistics —they show a crisis in our communities rooted in poverty, policy, and systemic inequality. Food insecurity is not a matter of charity. It is a matter of justice.
The Poverty Task Force’s recent Written Submission to the Federal 2026 Pre-Budget Consultation urges the Government of Canada to take immediate action in its 2026 Budget to address rising poverty, food insecurity, homelessness, and economic inequality in rural communities. Across Grey and Bruce Counties, local organizations are facing unprecedented demand for emergency food programs, housing supports, and financial assistance while families struggle to keep up with the rising cost of living.
Rural communities are increasingly being asked to compensate for gaps in public policy through charitable food programs and emergency supports. While these programs are vital, they cannot replace strong income security systems, affordable housing, accessible childcare, and equitable social supports.
Food insecurity, homelessness, and poverty are not caused by individual failure. They are the result of inadequate incomes, unaffordable housing, low wages, and insufficient public investment in social infrastructure. Budget 2026 presents an opportunity for the federal government to strengthen Canada’s social safety net and ensure that all Canadians can meet their basic needs with dignity.
Hunger is a symptom; food insecurity is the condition.
Hunger can be temporarily relieved with a meal—but food insecurity is persistent and driven by structural factors like inadequate income, unaffordable housing, and limited access to services. These are policy failures, not personal ones.
Across our region, families are being forced to make impossible choices:
- Heat or groceries
- Medicine or meals
- Rent or food for their children
No one should have to live this way.
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A Community-Driven Response to Systemic Injustice
The Food Security Action Group (FSAG) brings together a powerful coalition of voices: food banks, community meal programs, community gardens, policy advocates, and people with lived experience. We are not just responding to hunger—we are organizing for systemic change.
Yet, even with the best intentions, traditional food charity reaches only 1 in 5 food-insecure households. This is a call to transform—not just expand—how we respond.
Reimagining Food Access: Community Food Hubs
FSAG champions the Community Food Centre model—a proven, people-centered approach that dismantles the stigma of food charity and replaces it with dignity, connection, and empowerment.
Community Food Centres and Hubs are more than places to get food. They are:
- Spaces of belonging
- Platforms for advocacy
- Catalysts for systemic change
By involving people with lived experience in program creation and delivery, these hubs break down the line between “giver” and “receiver”—and build a stronger, more equitable food system for everyone.
Watch this vision in action in our feature video by Stephanie Methner, showcasing Grey Bruce’s community food leaders and innovators.
Community-Led Solutions, Powered by Partnership
In 2019, the Food Security Hub Project brought together municipal leaders, farmers, service providers, and grassroots advocates through 5 Community Conversations and our Annual Fall Food Gathering. This collaborative effort—powered by United Way of Bruce Grey, Grey Bruce Sustainability Project, Grey Bruce Public Health, and the Poverty Task Force—helped define a community-wide roadmap for action.
Key initiatives include:
- Gleaning programs of the Grey Bruce Community Garden Network donate fresh, nutritious surplus food from farms and community gardens to community meal programs and food banks; and the Grey Bruce Food Share glean food from grocery stores, pharmacies and restaurants feeding people in need.
- The Grey Bruce Food Share, which connects schools, food banks, and community kitchens through the Second Harvest’s Food Rescue program —ensuring that no good food goes to waste.
- The Bruce Grey Food App an innovative, tech-powered tool that collects real-time food security data and demonstrates the power of non-profit–private sector partnerships in tackling poverty head-on.
A Call to Action
Food insecurity, homelessness, and poverty are not caused by individual failure. They are the result of inadequate incomes, unaffordable housing, low wages, and insufficient public investment in social infrastructure. Budget 2026 presents an opportunity for the federal government to strengthen Canada’s social safety net and ensure that all Canadians can meet their basic needs with dignity.
The Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force recommends the following federal priorities:
- Improve transportation and employment opportunities for youth.
- Reduce household food insecurity through stronger income supports and investments in equitable food systems.
- Strengthen the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit.
- Increase the Canada Disability Benefit to end disability poverty.
- Simplify and expand eligibility for disability-related federal benefits.
- Invest in affordable childcare and the early learning workforce.
- Expand affordable and supportive housing in rural communities.
We call on policymakers, funders, and community members to:
- Invest in long-term solutions that address poverty and inequality
- Support inclusive models like Community Food Centres
- Uplift the voices of those with lived experience
- Champion food justice in every policy conversation
Because food is not a privilege. It is a human right.
3 thoughts on “Food Security”