Not every record is one to celebrate. That’s the case with the alarming record-high levels of requests for food assistance reported by the FBQ.
Once again, the SAQ is calling on its customers and employees to provide support and a little relief to the hundreds of thousands of Quebecers currently dealing with food insecurity.
With school starting and all the extra expenses involved, the SAQ is proud to maintain its commitment to the FBQ. Having to buy school supplies, clothing and food puts significant financial pressure on many families. Lending a hand helps ensure children can start the school year with a full stomach. This is why, from August 21 to 31, the SAQ will give two meals to Food Banks of Quebec for every Origine Québec product sold. Customers who want to contribute more will also be able to make a donation to the FBQ at the checkout counter.
Constantly growing requests
The 2025 Hunger Count report highlights a deeply troubling situation :
- The number of monthly food assistance requests has exceeded the three million mark, representing a 6,6% increase from last year and a 37% increase since 2022.
- Monthly visits to food banks across the network, which represent the total number of people assisted through all services, have reached one million, a 49% increase since 2022.
- Every month, 600,000 unique individuals receive support from the FBQ network, a 7.6% hike over the last year.
- Food shortages once again posed a challenge for many organizations in the network this year, despite support from the government, partners, and the public, which helped increase food distribution.
A heartfelt partnership
It was in 2011, when the FQB network sounded the alarm due to a lack of resources, that the SAQ became aware of the scale of the needs to be met and decided to make food assistance its main corporate cause.