Scarborough Rosewood Food Drive - SRFD 1.63

Food Banks Canada, the national charitable organization representing and supporting the food bank community across Canada, advocates on behalf of the 2.7 million Canadians who experience household food insecurity while working towards finding long-term solutions to hunger. Each month, close to 850,000 Canadians are assisted by food banks.

They can be:
• Families with children, employed people, individuals on social assistance, and Canadians living on a fixed income, including people with disabilities and seniors
• Even though “ The Canadian government committed itself to resolving childhood poverty in 1989, 25 years later, 36.4% of those going to food banks are children and youth.”

This is an on-going problem, most people use food banks as a last resort, and do not expect to find themselves in a situation where they would need one.

Furthermore, many individuals who come to food banks do so because the majority of their money goes towards paying rent for shelter, and other amenities. According to the Who’s Hungry report by Daily bread,

“The average food bank client pays 71% of their household income on housing (and utilities).”

It is a result of this expense that they cannot afford to pay for food. When it comes to choosing between shelter and putting food in one’s stomach, shelter is always the dominant choice. In fact the median monthly income of people using food banks is $691, and after paying rent, only around $5.83 is available for them to use, according to the Daily Bread. As you can see, this is not enough to pay for adequate food.

An article in the Globe and Mail stated that, “ The problem, however, is too big for community-based charities to solve.” Why is there a need for food banks in the first place?

The main reason is due to poverty, there are 3.2 million Canadians living in poverty today. They are struggling to buy necessities and unable to afford food.

The government can help out people living in poverty or in lower income households by reducing the pressure they feel from other costs like health, dental and drug benefits. Another way to help lessen the need for food banks include community gardens. People can get permits to farm a piece of land and grow their own vegetables. Also, they can give any extras to soup kitchens or to people who do not have enough money to buy their own.

Social assistance programs are simply things like employment insurance, job banks that help people find jobs, or help train people to make them more eligible for more jobs. Some other ways that the government can help include:

1) Increase the provision of Affordable Housing: From the previous statistics, it is already evident that people that come to food banks are spending the majority of their income on housing costs and utilities. On a provincial and city-wide level, more affordable housing development projects would be beneficial to such people alongside stricter policies centered on rent regulation. Furthermore, it may also be helpful to provide a housing benefit. This may consist of increased employment insurance to low-income families.

2) Ensure adequate pensions/benefits for most vulnerable seniors: 9% of people coming to food banks say they are living on savings. If these individuals received adequate pensions, it would allow them to pay for shelter and other necessities. It is helpful for individuals who have low savings and are at a vulnerable age when working is not feasible or preferences are given to younger applicants, if greater or necessary financial aid was provided.

3) Job Security: 16% of people coming to food banks are disabled, this is the reason they give for not being able to afford food. An astounding 34% say they have just lost their job. Their unemployment may be an arbitrary dismissal, such as a pregnancy, or disability, or perhaps because of their character. If at all three levels of government greater job security was provided in the form of new policies or laws that help limit the amount of jobs lost through arbitrary dismissal, it would mean fewer people require the use of food banks. Job security may mean that despite someone finding out they have an illness, they will still retain their job but perhaps their duties/responsibilities may change. All in all, job security means that no individual will find themselves without a source of income for unexplained reasons.

4) Dealing appropriately with food inflation: Seeing as food is a necessity of life, would be a great help to those suffering financially, if they didn’t have to worry about food prices going up as the economy worsens. Policies can be implemented at all three levels of government to improve this problem.