As economic pressures continue to escalate for families across Canada, the Archway Food Bank of Abbotsford is urgently calling on the community to help raise $1.3 million to meet a dramatic increase in demand for its services. Without this funding, the organization may be forced to make deep cuts to the food and essential supplies it provides — at a time when more local residents than ever before are relying on its support.
A Sharp Rise in Need
In recent years, food insecurity in Abbotsford has escalated steadily. In 2024, the Archway Food Bank saw an average of 5,000 individuals per month accessing food support. By 2025 that number had climbed to more than 6,200 people each month — reflecting not only population growth but widening financial strain on households across the region.
This surge in demand mirrors broader national trends. Food Banks Canada’s HungerCount 2025 report showed over 2.1 million visits to food banks in March 2025 alone, the highest recorded and roughly double the number since March 2019. Intriguingly, nearly one in five (19 percent) of those visits came from people with job income, underscoring that employment no longer guarantees food security amid rising living costs.
Why the Funding Gap Matters
Archway Food Bank has long relied on a combination of financial contributions, donated goods, grants and recovered surplus food from grocery partners to keep its shelves stocked. But with the number of families and individuals seeking help increasing so sharply, donations and recoveries alone are no longer sufficient.
“Right now, we’re serving more people than ever before, and without reaching this goal, we may have to look at making even deeper cuts to the kinds of food we can purchase to consistently provide well-rounded and nutritious food hampers for each family,” says Rebecca Thuro, Archway’s food security manager.
While food recovery helps reduce waste and redirect surplus goods to families, the Food Bank still needs to buy pallets of essential, nutritious food items to consistently fill hampers and ensure that clients receive balanced meals. This direct purchasing becomes especially critical when donations don’t match the rising level of community need.
Who Is Being Served
The demographic makeup of Archway’s clients highlights the breadth of food insecurity in Abbotsford:
- 38 percent are children — many of whom live in households that struggle to provide for all their basic needs.
- 10 percent are seniors, often living on fixed incomes that can’t keep pace with inflation.
- 12 percent have a disability, illustrating how physical or health challenges can compound financial strain.
These figures show food insecurity impacts people of all ages and backgrounds — from working families to vulnerable seniors — and underscore that the need for support is both widespread and deeply human.
Beyond Basic Food Distribution
Archway’s mission goes beyond handing out groceries. Its core focus is to nurture families and strengthen community ties through supplemental food assistance and complementary programs. These include initiatives like:
- Starfish Packs, which provide weekend meals for children who benefit from school food programs during the week, helping ensure no child goes hungry.
- Home delivery of food for clients unable to travel.
- Fresh food recovery, redirecting nutritious food from suppliers and retailers.
- Basic necessity distributions, such as supplemental food hampers adapted to individual needs.
Each of these services requires stable funding — not just for the food itself, but for the logistics, staff, and volunteer coordination that make distribution possible.
The Human Stories Behind the Numbers
For many clients, Archway is more than a service provider — it is a safety net. One anonymous food bank guest described how dramatically life can change when financial stress hits: “We could not have conceived that our lives would have been quickly and dramatically altered, but truly appreciate the graciousness of this community.”
These personal stories underscore that food insecurity can happen to anyone — not only those without jobs or benefits, but also working parents and households doing everything they can to make ends meet in a challenging economic environment.
How the Community Can Help
To prevent cuts in services and maintain the quality and consistency of food hampers, Archway is urgently appealing for financial support. Community members can contribute through:
- Online donations via the Archway Food Bank’s website.
- Organizing fundraisers or food drives with partner organizations; those interested can contact the Food Bank for direction on how to get started.
Monetary donations are particularly impactful because the Food Bank can use funds to buy food in bulk, stretching every dollar further than many individual purchases.
A Call to Action
As Archway works to close the $1.3 million gap this year, the effort serves as a reminder that food insecurity is a growing reality for too many people in Abbotsford. Rising costs for groceries, housing, and basic necessities are putting increasing pressure on families, seniors, and individuals who once managed to make ends meet.
Supporting the Archway Food Bank is not just about feeding people in the moment — it’s about strengthening the social fabric of the community, reducing the stress of financial instability, and ensuring that no one has to go hungry while living in a city with abundant resources.
In times of growing need, the generosity and engagement of neighbors, donors, volunteers, and local organizations can make the difference between hardship and stability — turning concern into action and challenges into opportunities for unity and support.
