This week, Orillia City Council officially declared a household food insecurity emergency, after new data revealed that nearly one in three households in Simcoe County are struggling to afford groceries.

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit reports 30.7% of households face food insecurity, with Orillia “especially impacted” due to higher poverty rates. The declaration, while largely symbolic, will guide future city decisions on poverty reduction, food support, and community initiatives.

Councillor Janet-Lynne Durnford, co-chair of the Orillia Food Access and Sustainability Working Group, says the need for help has skyrocketed. The city’s food bank usage has more than doubled, and even the community fridge project—refilled four times daily—is emptied almost immediately. “Despite having a food bank … there’s just so much need,” she said, noting even middle-class families are now turning to food banks.

Chris Peacock, executive director of The Sharing Place Food Centre, echoed those concerns. His organization is “extremely busy,” with demand coming from all walks of life, including dual-income families. “Poverty is blind,” Peacock said, stressing that food banks cannot be the long-term solution.

Both Durnford and Peacock agree that structural changes are needed—affordable housing, higher wages, and income-based policies—to ensure people can afford to feed their families. The emergency declaration is seen as a starting point, signaling that Orillia is calling on all levels of government to act.

As Peacock put it: “[Food banks] are not here to solve poverty. We are here to help out in an emergency situation.”