Our priority from the very beginning, since 2015, has been to support those most vulnerable. I am proud to be part of a government, one of whose very first actions was to cut taxes for middle-class families and raise them for the wealthiest one per cent. We introduced measures, as you know, to restore the age of eligibility back to 65 from 67, which it was in the Harper years, especially for old age security and the guaranteed income supplement.
We also put forward and enhanced the guaranteed income supplement, which has helped 900,000 low-income single seniors. The measures we put in place have certainly helped 45,000 low-income seniors to come out of poverty.
When you talk about this pandemic, if there is one demographic that has been particularly hard hit, it is our seniors and the most vulnerable seniors. Complementary to directly supporting their health and financial health, we were also able to provide other funding as a result of delivering services and supports directly to them, using the power of organizations on the ground in communities and adding our own capacity, thereby ensuring that local knowledge and skills were harnessed. I am very proud of every volunteer organization and company that has stepped up during this pandemic to support seniors.
As you know, the services that help seniors in their day-to-day lives can help save them that extra cost and the stress, which can affect their health, especially if they have to manage it alone, as you can only imagine.
Therefore, to help seniors and others get essential services and supplies, we invested over half a billion dollars. There was an additional $20 million for the New Horizons for Seniors program's community-based projects, $350 million for charities and not-for-profits, $9 million for United Way Canada, $100 million for food banks and local food organizations, and, of course, millions for the previously funded New Horizons for Seniors program, which was modified so we could pivot quickly to address the needs of those specific individuals.