How can Ontario’s struggling food banks find the resources they need to continue feeding the families that need their help?
Fancy galas and fundraising parties certainly are not the solution. Spence said OAFB has already established partnerships with farmers to increase the volume of food donations. Fortunately, some farmers support food banks from farm donation programs. With their help, Ontario’s food banks have begun to increase the supply of fresh, local food.
But this is not enough.
Spence urged the Canadian federal government to recognize the seriousness of the poverty situation in the country, “they have long way to go.”
The HungerCount study called on the federal government to implement a national poverty prevention strategy, increase use of the guaranteed income supplement (GIS) among low income seniors, and ensure that post-recession plans take low-income Canadians into account.
Lightman said bluntly: “I think what food banks should do is to tell the government, ‘we’re shutting down in six months from now. We are stopping. We are ending completely. We’ll throw the responsibility back to the government.’”
In his opinion, the government should raise taxes on the wealthy to raise revenue that can be used to help the needy live with dignity.
Smith suggested a different solution. He called on individual working people to donate more to charity, including food banks, rather than waiting for a government solution.
“For example, if two million working people in Toronto could save some money by, say, buying less take-out coffee each week, and donate the 10 dollars they saved to the food banks every week, 20 million dollars can be collected easily, so as to 500 million to a billion, therefore, nobody will get hungry.”
Fancy galas and fundraising parties certainly are not the solution. Spence said OAFB has already established partnerships with farmers to increase the volume of food donations. Fortunately, some farmers support food banks from farm donation programs. With their help, Ontario’s food banks have begun to increase the supply of fresh, local food.
But this is not enough.
Spence urged the Canadian federal government to recognize the seriousness of the poverty situation in the country, “they have long way to go.”
The HungerCount study called on the federal government to implement a national poverty prevention strategy, increase use of the guaranteed income supplement (GIS) among low income seniors, and ensure that post-recession plans take low-income Canadians into account.
Lightman said bluntly: “I think what food banks should do is to tell the government, ‘we’re shutting down in six months from now. We are stopping. We are ending completely. We’ll throw the responsibility back to the government.’”
In his opinion, the government should raise taxes on the wealthy to raise revenue that can be used to help the needy live with dignity.
Smith suggested a different solution. He called on individual working people to donate more to charity, including food banks, rather than waiting for a government solution.
“For example, if two million working people in Toronto could save some money by, say, buying less take-out coffee each week, and donate the 10 dollars they saved to the food banks every week, 20 million dollars can be collected easily, so as to 500 million to a billion, therefore, nobody will get hungry.”
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