The Ontario Association of Food Banks says there's been a record increase in the number of people turning to food banks in the province since last fall.

Adam Spence, who wrote the Ontario Hunger Report 2009 for the OAFB, called the increase "staggering."

The association says the economic downturn has made this its most difficult year, with the number of people served reaching historic highs.

There's been a 19 per cent spike in the number of people turning to food banks since last year — compared with an increase of 11 per cent in 2008 and 10 per cent during the recession of the early 1990s.

In all, the association says 375,000 Ontario residents use food banks each month, even though one third of people in those households are employed.

"The breadth and depth of hunger in Ontario is staggering," said Spence, who is also the executive director of the OAFB.

"Tens of thousands more have turned to us for support this year, and it is clear that many more cannot afford the very basics, like fruits and vegetables, winter coats, or necessary health care."

Many food banks have not been able to meet the increased demand, with one in four reducing the amount of food distributed in their hampers.

The group is calling on the province to review its social assistance rules and create a farm donation tax credit for producers who support local food banks.

"Although it has been reported that we are at the technical end of the recession, the situation is very different for hundreds of thousands of individuals and families living on the edge," Spence said in a news release accompanying the release of the report.