Barb Davies
Director, Golden Food Bank Society
The Golden Food Bank will be hosting our Annual Food Drive in recognition of Hunger Awareness Week. We have recently completed Food Bank Canada’s Hunger Count survey, where we collected valuable statistical information regarding food bank use in Golden.
Here in Golden the rise in need is represented by a 37 per cent increase in those turning to us for support since 2008 at the onset of the recession, with an average of 290 individuals in our community coming to the Golden Food Bank for assistance in 2011.
In a country as affluent as Canada, hunger is unacceptable. Yet, close to 900,000 Canadians will visit a food bank for assistance this month alone. Of those, 38 per cent are children or youth. Hunger is often a hidden issue, and we are working to change that fact with Hunger Awareness Week, which Food Banks Canada has expanded from previous years’ Hunger Awareness Day.
One day is simply no longer sufficient to call Canada to action on this pressing issue.
During Hunger Awareness Week, May 7-11, Food Banks Canada encourages Canadians to Give it Up for Hunger, to become more conscious of hunger and what it feels like to go without food.
The goal is to have individuals Give It Up by putting food out of your reach and challenging yourself to give up your lunches or a food staple for the week.
We hope that people will share their experiences and thoughts on this challenge by going to www.hungerawarenessweek.ca and supporting our local food bank. We can work to make a difference for the 290 individuals in Golden who turn to our food bank for support each month.
By learning about hunger and experiencing it personally, we can all change the way we think about hunger and activate the changes needed to reduce it.
