When it comes to the Ottawa Food Bank, just about anyone could walk through the doors someday.

That's the conclusion of a report, published Wednesday by the Ottawa Food Bank, called the Hunger Report.

It paints a picture of the kinds of people who make use of the Ottawa Food Bank - more than 41,000 users per month.

Executive Director Michael Maidment tells CFRA's Ottawa Now with Evan Solomon there are some preconceived notions about who uses the Food Bank.

"It's not that person who's panhandling on the street corner; that's not who's using the Food Bank," Maidment says. "It could be anyone. It could be somebody on the bus. It could be somebody next to you on the Queensway. It could be a colleague or a family member who needs a food bank next."

The report shows that 65% of people who use the Food Bank report social assistance or disability benefits as their highest source of income. But 26% of Food Bank users have a post-secondary education, be it a college diploma, trade certification or even a PhD.

60% of Food Bank clients come from homes with no children. 36% of clients have children under the age of 18.

The report highlights stories, such as those of clients who say they have good jobs, but they still can't afford all their bills at the end of the month.

"Some weeks, especially in the winter, I have to choose between paying for heat in my apartment and buying groceries. Then when I see that one of my kids is growing out of their shoes, I really start to panic."

Other stories tell tales of struggling with disease or disability.

"After the chemo treatment I am sick and worn out. But the really hard part is keeping things going at home. Forty-five for a bus pass. Fifty for a phone. Ninety for heat. Then paying for my medical needs, and trying to do all that on my disability cheque. It doesn’t work."

Still more stories show the impact of hunger on children.

"Sometimes my mom and dad skip dinner so we have enough to eat. I pretend like I don't notice, but it makes me really sad. I wish we could help them."

Maidment says many events can push people over the edge.

"If somebody has precarious employment, or does not have benefits, that could cause somebody to turn to a food bank. Even just paying for the medication and being too sick to work could be enough to thrust somebody into poverty."

Maidment says the Food Bank is just one element of the fight against hunger.

"We know more food does not solve the issue of hunger," Maidment says in a statement at the start of the report. "We must drive change at the local level to address the root issues of hunger. We will work with our counterparts at the provincial and national levels to institute broad systemic change. We will push for more affordable housing and the guaranteed basic income."

The report was released just one day after a Dalhousie University study that showed the price of food was expected to rise 3-5% annually, something Maidment says will also contribute not only to people needing to access the food bank, but also their ability to donate to the food bank, and the Ottawa Food Bank's own ability to purchase fresh food.