Tough economic times and job losses are forcing more people in Toronto to use food banks.

The Scott Mission, which provides support and provisions for the homeless and low-income, estimates demand is up 20 per cent over last year.

On Sunday, almost 400 people attended the centre's Easter dinner.

Paul Hall, a former driver, lost his job this year and is feeling the pinch. "I just lost a job, and what are you going to do?" he told CBC News. "Humans are very resilient. You can take a lot."

Robert Singer is unemployed, and so far hasn't had much luck finding a job. "It's hard finding gainful employment, it's very tough," he said. "I'm so lonely, and it's nice to have someone to relate to, someone just to talk to, and have a meal, a warm meal in your belly."

People attending the mission ate a dinner of roast lamb and fresh vegetables, made in part with donations to the mission.

Executive director David Smith said the recession is affecting how much people can give, just as demand for help is growing.

He said he's seeing more and more "working poor" — people with jobs who can't make ends meet.

"People need food to take home, so obviously those are people with homes who don't have enough money to pay for food, because it's a rising cost," he explained.

Torontonian Jennifer Hill served the Sunday dinner as a volunteer, with her three children. "We believe in helping, most important is to teach our children to be able to walk up to anybody, and speak to them, and treat them as any other human being," she told CBC News.

Hill's daughter Madeline said serving at the Mission is teaching her a valuable life lesson.

"There are people out there who don't have everything, and that do need help and that even if they don't have as much as you do, they're still people, and you can just talk to them, they are not going to hurt you or anything," the 14-year old said.

The Scott Mission handed out 43,000 bags of groceries, and served about 210,000 hot meals last year, Smith said.