Many individuals and families suffer from food insecurity and the lack of various other basic necessities due to numerous systemic inequalities on a daily basis. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 795 million people worldwide were considered undernourished (Ayala & Meier, 2017), with four million of these people living in Canada (PROOF, 2020). With the ripple effects of COVID-19 taken into consideration, according to Statistics Canada, "almost one in seven Canadians report food insecurity". Access to food seems like it is an inalienable right but it is often overlooked because Canada is typically seen as a country of opportunity and security. However, 70% of people living in Canada who are on social assistance are food insecure. Food insecurity is a significant issue in Canada that impacts 8.3% of Canadians and specifically 8.5% of Ontario residents (Hawkins & Roshanafshar, 2015). Due to the ever-increasing demands of the housing market, and the short and longterm economic impacts of COVID-19, the issue of food insecurity remains prevalent.
As a nonprofit, we have decided to focus our initiatives on a local community scale as best as we can and we know that every act of kindness and consideration makes a difference. It is our hope that through our local food and clothing drives FOOD NOT BOUGHT will help alleviate food insecurity within our community. In 2019, Food Banks Canada reported how quickly the demand for food is increasing every year. In 2018, Food Banks Canada served, by trying to meet their demand, a total of 23.3 million pounds of food. While in 2019, demand was higher, Food Banks Canada served 24.9 million pounds of food, a total increase of 1.6 million in just one year (Food Banks Canada, 2019). This directly demonstrates how a significant number of Canadians experience food insecurity and why more food banks, organizations, charities, and capable individuals need to come together to provide basic human resources to those in need.
"Since the world has existed, there has been injustice. But it is one world, the more so as it becomes smaller, more accessible. There is just no question that there is more obligation that those who have should give to those who have nothing."
- Audrey Hepburn
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