A new report from the Calgary Food Bank (CFB) has found that more seniors are seeking its services due to rising costs outpacing fixed retirement incomes. 

The ‘Food Insecurity Doesn’t Retire’ report surveyed 736 CFB clients aged 55 and older and conducted 30 interviews. It found that 64 per cent of the food bank’s older clientele only began to experience food insecurity post-retirement, while seniors are nearly three times more likely to re-use the food bank’s services than the general population. 

Seniors have historically been one of the least food-insecure populations, but CFB President and CEO Melissa From said this change makes sense with Calgary’s growing affordability crisis. 

“It’s no secret that food banks across the country have seen pretty astronomical increases in need, and in demand over the last few years,” she said.

From said the report stemmed from wanting to better understand the circumstances of the food bank’s clients, but also from her own interactions when working on the front lines. Over a year ago, From spoke with an older client who was getting his first emergency food hamper after losing his wife, and listened as he explained the reality of losing half his household income. 

“He found himself now not only dealing with the grief of losing his life partner, but also having to deal with the economic realities of what that meant for him,” she said. 

According to the report, the average monthly Canada Pension Plan payment sat at $845 between July and September 2025, while the average rent for an apartment in Calgary reached $2,051 the same year. On top of rising food costs and increased medical care, seniors simply can’t keep up with a fixed income.

“These are folks who had a job, paid the mortgage, raised their kids, paid their property taxes, all of those things,” said From. 

“And now here they are in what should effectively be those golden years, and they’re struggling to put food on the table.”

These rising costs also mean some Calgarians are either delaying retirement or can’t afford it altogether. Eighty per cent of non-retired respondents surveyed said they couldn’t afford to retire, with 71 per cent concerned with housing and 52 per cent worried about medical expenses. 

One 65-year-old respondent chose to delay retirement until 70, when retirement benefits increase for Canadian seniors. Yet, she still faces food insecurity and even took up part-time work to supplement her income. 

“The income I’m earning will pay the bills, but not winter utilities, and not food or gas,” she said.

“So, I pick up gig work.” 

Short-term solutions won’t cut it

Dani DeBoice, executive director of Vibrant Communities Calgary, said she wasn’t surprised by the report’s findings and has seen the toll taken on seniors over the years. 

“For people that are on a very low or fixed income, like seniors, there’s almost no room to adjust their budgets. Rent can’t be negotiated month-to-month. So, food is often the only flexible expense, we know that,” she said. 

“That’s why we see people eating less or turning to the food bank. We’ve also been hearing for years now that seniors are skipping medication to eat.”

The report also highlights compounding challenges, including health-related costs and social isolation. Sixty per cent of respondents reported living with a health condition or disability, while more than one-third said they feel socially isolated.

At the same time, barriers such as transportation, stigma and long wait times prevent many seniors from accessing additional support, leaving the food bank as a primary resource. 

With Calgary inching closer to its two millionth resident and an aging population, the report expects that by 2040, Calgary’s population will be 25 per cent seniors. From is worried about how this population will be supported as it grows. 

“This cannot be the sustainable solution,” she said. 

“The Calgary Food Bank cannot become the long-term food solution for a very large aging demographic. We need to find a more sustainable way to ensure that folks can support themselves long term.”

DeBoice said the government must protect essential programs, such as the Alberta Seniors Benefit and Alberta Income Support, to ensure more seniors don’t fall through the cracks. These income supports will actually save money in the long run, she said. 

“We know that prevention costs less than crisis response,” DeBoice said. 

“I think it is about protecting income supports and investing in things like housing. It isn’t just compassionate policy, it’s fiscally responsible.”