For the Canadians who thought 2022 would be their year after enduring a pandemic and seeing glimmers of hope of “returning to normal; they were instead greeted with 40-year record-high levels of inflation. At an average of 6.8% (4.8% above the target of 2%), the Bank of Canada had to take drastic measures, and have since imposed 11 rate hikes to curb inflation. While prices have come down in some categories, such as gasoline and travel-related services, many Canadians are still feeling a pinch when it comes to the cost of living, especially food.
A report from Statistics Canada found that in the last two years, grocery item prices have increased 20% on average. The same report found that 4 in 10 Canadians were impacted more by grocery prices than rises in other areas, such as shelter and transportation.
Food insecurity isn’t a new challenge. The first food bank in Canada opened in 1981 in Edmonton, AB, in response to growing levels of poverty. That number has grown to more than 4,750 food banks and doesn’t include smaller initiatives like pantries operated by local community organizations.
The annual Food Banks Canada’s HungerCount report measures the number of people accessing food banks every March. The 2023 report, issued in late October 2023, found that there were more than 1.9 million visits to food banks. This was a 32% increase compared to the previous year, and a whopping 79% increase compared to 2019. A new concerning statistic shows 1 in 6 (17%) of those accessing the service are employed. This is up 5 per cent after being in between 11 and 12 per cent for more than 10 years.
This elevated demand for food banks and programs has left Food Banks Canada fed up with the current situation, and lack of solutions from the federal government.
In conjunction with the report, the organization released a statement from their Chief Executive Officer, Kirstin Beardsley, who said “..we must ask: when is it enough before we act?” This statement launched their “When is it enough?” campaign with a dedicated website, whenisitenough.ca. The site is a simple landing page encouraging Canadians to write to their local MP to let them know that “enough is enough.”
EE found the website made sending a letter an easy process. Food Banks Canada has a pre-templated letter that visitors can send directly from the site with the option of customizing it. If the visitor doesn’t know who their MP is, if the website has access to their location it’ll populate it for them. If not, visitors can search by inputting their postal code. There is also a “Share” option on the letter submission for participants to share it on their social channels or by email. The campaign has received substantial national media attention, including CBC, CTV News, and Newswire Canada. In addition to media outreach, the campaign used eye-catching visuals and infographics on their website and social media. They paid for advertising on Meta and procured out-of-home advertising in high-traffic areas. Given these initiatives, it’s expected that they have increased awareness amongst their audience, but as only a month has passed since its launch, there has not been any follow-up in regards to its effectiveness for action.
This campaign is the second time Food Banks Canada has diverged from a focus on a call for donations; often using storytelling to share the difference those dollars make to someone in need to foster feelings of empathy. In 2022, the organization’s creative campaign featured a “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” type monster eating holes through the downtown of a major Canadian city. However, it does raise the question of how much money are they bringing in that they can create such cinematic advertisements.