Food Banks Canada | Banques alimentaires Canada’s Post

The line-ups for emergency food are devastatingly long. But they tell only a small fraction of the story of Canada's food insecurity crisis. The vast majority of people worried about eating, compromising on the quality and quantity of their groceries and/or going without food -- a shocking 7 million Canadians -- aren't standing in a humiliating emergency food line. That's why when the National Advisory Council on Poverty meets with Minister Jenna Sudds this week, the social disaster that is food insecurity must be front and centre in the conversation. At a time when close to 20% of Canadians are food insecure, the federal government cannot be silent on this raging issue (as it was in its recent Fall Economic Statement). Two things Community Food Centres Canada would like to see discussed at the meeting with Minister Sudds: 1. A federal government commitment to cutting food insecurity in half by 2030. 2. The establishment of a Food Insecurity Task Force (with a short lifespan) to corral the data and recommend the most effective income and social policy solutions to realize the reduction target. There is no question in our mind that we can eradicate food insecurity in Canada. Set a first target Minister Sudds and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and let's get on with this critical task. There are so many smart minds and organizations ready and willing to help. #foodisabasichumanright #politicalwill

We are thrilled with the Government of Canada's announcement today to invest $1 billion over the next five years to establish a National School Food Program. This will help feed an additional 400,000 children across Canada. We commend the government for actioning this initiative. "Food insecurity is at crisis levels in Canada, with one in four children living in a food insecure home. Food security is fundamental to health and dignity, as well as academic, social and economic potential. Historically, Canada has been the only G7 country without a national school food program. This leadership and action on the part of the federal government addresses this failing and further strengthens our societal net, so that more children in Canada will have the potential to learn and succeed,” says Sarah Stern, Executive Director of the Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security. The School Food Program will deliver immediate benefit to the millions of children and their families struggling with food insecurity — but we know there is still more work to be done! Read more in our release: https://ow.ly/l0eM50R69cL

A can of soup: $11.49, a bag of apples: $17.99. Inflation and the rising cost of food is forcing many people across Canada to cut back on spending, but for those in the North where food prices were already astronomical, families simply can’t purchase enough to eat. Recently, Global News followed Dr. Anna Banerji, a pediatrician and the Director of Global and Indigenous Health at the University of Toronto, as she visited communities in the North, including Clyde River, Nunavut. “It’s at a crisis level,” said Dr. Anna Banerji. “Indigenous children in these communities do not have enough food to eat.” Food Banks Canada is committed to becoming a valuable partner in addressing the current hunger crisis in the North, where food insecurity has long been disproportionately worse than elsewhere in the country. That is why Food Banks Canada is building trusting and long-lasting relationships with community members, organizations, and local governments in the North to share information, consult and work together toward reducing food insecurity in northern communities. To learn more about these initiatives and how you can help, please visit https://lnkd.in/gQq_rkKy #inuit northernfoodinsecurity #northernhunger #nunavut #foodbankscanada #foodbanking #foodbanks #foodinsecurity

May 8 puts us right in the middle of Mental Health Awareness Week. As expected, food banks are discussing the impact of food insecurity on our mental health ... and they should be. This is Canada and yet almost 9 Million Canadians live in a food-insecure household. That data is from 2023 and is expected to rise (again) in 2024. What can we do? Food banks are struggling to keep up with the demand. The number of Canadians that can help is declining as the need increases. There is an untapped source of funds sitting in homes and businesses across Canada ... we just need to access it. Leftover Foreign Currency amounts to $2-$3 Billion in value, collecting dust. We can't use it to buy a coffee, never mind buy groceries or pay the rent. And almost everyone has some ... Food banks can add this to their "ways to fundraise" options. Businesses can fundraise as another way to engage their employees. Schools and churches can run events. Corporations with a large retail footprint can collect from their customers. Charities went crazy for penny drives in the past and there is more than 10X the value of pennies available in leftover foreign currency. And unlike the days of the penny drives, collecting leftover foreign currency won't put a burden on the charities ... you collect and Global Coin Solutions will handle everything else. #AllCurrencyAccepted

Investment in school food advances health, wellbeing and academic performance. Canada is an outlier. We're the only G7 country, and one of the only OECD advanced industrialized economies, without a national school food program. It's time.

I'm annoyed that the Bank of Canada has done a little press tour lately with stern looks about labour productivity and GDP. Which would be OK, if they also gave the perspective that it doesn't really matter in a technologically advanced society that can produce everything it actually needs without breaking a sweat. So it's fine to try to be efficient, and let's not light money on fire. But I think we should be a little more focussed on which widgets we're actually making at this point in our social development. Statistics Canada also measures 8.5% child poverty in 2020. If there's a single number we need to track to know we're doing things right why is GDP per capita more important to us than the child poverty rate? https://lnkd.in/gqwHs_r3

The level of food insecurity in Canada is more than double that of Germany, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, and Japan, among other countries. Food insecurity is not a food scarcity issue – Canada produces plenty of food. Emergency relief provided by food banks and food donations helps in the short term but is not a sustainable long-term solution. Close to 50% of people living in food-insecure households over the age of 15 have a disability. 82% of Canadians believe the federal government should do more to help people struggling with poverty and hunger in Canada. In fact, the same survey also found that 83% of Canadians feel that people going hungry in Canada goes against Canadian values. 86% of Canadians agree that the federal government should ensure no child goes hungry in Canada and that people with disabilities should be supported to ensure they have access to healthy food and other basic necessities. Every food bank is a sign of government policy failure. By multiple levels of government. Food insecurity is not a food problem. It's an income problem. Poverty is a government policy choice. #BudgetTheBenefit #EndDisabilityPoverty https://lnkd.in/gvFwa_WC

Please find an interesting blog post below 👇, Recommended by Total Books Accountants, Bookkeepers & Tax advisers. Collaborative Project Sees 1,200 Monthly Meals Provided to Target Food Insecurity A collaboration involving businesses, public sector and third sector organisations is seeing 1,200 frozen meals distributed to Newport residents struggling with food insecurity. A total of 600 meals have already been received by the Collection Point and distributed by local community organisations. Analysis shows that two out of 10 households in the UK are experiencing food insecurity. Research also shows that the rate of food insecurity is set to reach its highest level since 1999 by 2028, with 170,000 more children set to be living in relative poverty than in 2021. https://bit.ly/3V0qmnd #MealDistribution #ChildPoverty #FightingHunger #MealDonations #SupportingFamilies #BuildingCommunity

Food Insecurity Throughout History Food insecurity has been a persistent issue in Canada, with its roots tracing back to the Great Depression of the 1930s, when widespread unemployment and economic hardship led to significant food shortages for many Canadians. Over the decades, various efforts have been made to address this problem, such as the establishment of food banks in the early 1980s. The first food bank in Canada was founded in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1981, as a temporary measure to address the immediate needs of those affected by the recession. However, food banks have since become a permanent fixture in Canadian society. Today, organizations like Food Banks Canada and CanadaHelps continue to play a crucial role in alleviating food insecurity through various initiatives, including food drives, fundraising campaigns, and policy advocacy aimed at addressing the underlying causes of poverty and hunger Empower the helpless with @Healthy Body, Healthy Mind #HBHM

“While the food insecurity rate across the country lies at 12.7%, in Nunavut, that number is 57%—more than quadruple the national average. It is a complex and critical issue that requires a very specific set of solutions. Which is why Food Banks Canada continues to recommend greater focus and attention by governments when it comes to addressing the high levels of food insecurity in Canada’s North.” #feedthenorth #foodinsecurity #foodbanks