Did you know that 1 in 5 Toronto households experience food insecurity? As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen, it is affecting a rising number of low-wage earners in terms of food security, and this is producing negative health outcomes. Food insecurity refers to the inadequate or insecure access to food due to lack of money. Many households earning less than $30,000 are five times more likely to experience job loss or reduction in working hours than those with annual income of $150,000. As the incidence of food insecurity keeps rising, the demand for community-based food initiatives is increasing as well. However, community organizations that work to meet these demands are also struggling as fundraising has declined in the past months.
As the pandemic pushes food insecurity to new heights, people and community organizations continues to find innovative ways to help and mitigate its impact. Some people took the initiative of establishing their own local food bank for their neighborhood. Beverly Dwyer, for example, is a person who has initiated to put up a local food bank for her community in Scarborough. Beverly, who also owns a nonprofit thrift shop, spends the majority of her time trying to source essential food items for the food bank. Among the most sought items are fresh produce, milk, proteins and eggs and these are some examples of items that people do not normally donate due to their perishable nature. To overcome this obstacle, Beverly resorts to buying these items whenever she has money and coordinates the distribution on the same day. This is a simple solution and an innovative way to meet the needs of her clients.
You can also help strengthen and feed your community by donating any amount to dailybread.ca .
Even if it is just sending a dollar, every little bit counts.