Summer has arrived for students across Nova Scotia, but with school out, access to food becomes more difficult for many families.
Ash Avery, executive director of Feed Nova Scotia, says the end of school food programs and other services means thousands of food-insecure children face greater challenges in the months ahead.
“Nova Scotia has the second-highest rate of children under 18 living in food-insecure households across Canada,” she said. “That looks like about 71,000 kids that are lacking food access every single day.”
Avery says food bank use is rising nationally, with tens of thousands of Nova Scotians relying on the service each month. She encourages anyone struggling to ask for support.
“We certainly see folks who feel like they would be taking services away from someone who may be more in need,” she said. “But the cost of living continues to increase, pushing more people into the margins. There are services out there.”
Avery says financial donations make a big difference, allowing food banks to purchase the items they know are most needed.
The non-profit feeds more than 23,000 people each month by supporting 140 food banks, shelters, soup kitchens, and meal programs across Nova Scotia. That number represents 52 per cent more people than the non-profit supported in 2022.
Many children living with food insecurity
The provincial government noted that in 2022, just under half (40.1 per cent) of children in Nova Scotia were living in food-insecure households. This represents the second-highest rate in Canada.
The report, which came out in December 2024, details the staggering number of children going hungry in the province. It is more prevalent in rural communities, as one-third of postal areas reported poverty rates of 30 per cent or higher, with 66.7 per cent being the highest in North Preston.
“Higher child poverty rates in certain areas of urban Nova Scotia are
disguised,” the report reads.
As an example, it says that within Halifax rates range from 17.6 per cent (Bedford) to a high of 41.9 per cent (Spryfield) and 41 per cent downtown.
The children in most need are those of immigrants or Indigenous families who have higher rates of poverty.
