45% increase in food bank visits in the inner suburbs
Based on surveys with over 1000 food bank clients across Toronto, the Who’s Hungry report was released September 21. While overall food bank visits have stabilized, poverty is moving into the inner suburbs. Since 2008, the city core has seen a 16% decrease in food bank visits, while the inner suburbs have seen a 45% increase. The overall length of time people are coming to Toronto food banks has doubled and 65% of people coming to food banks are on some type of social assistance. Everywhere in the city, people are struggling to pay rent and also try and meet other basic needs, such as food. Did you know that someone coming to a food bank spends, on average, 71% of their income on rent and utilities?
As hunger continues to spread across Toronto, Daily Bread helps by providing food to member agencies across Toronto, including in the inner suburbs.
With your help, we can stock our shelves until the holidays
It’s that time of year again. The kids are back in school, the weather is turning colder and Daily Bread is looking to stock the shelves during its annual Thanksgiving Drive. Our drive kicked off September 23 and runs until October 16 with goals of $325,000 and 225,000 pounds of food.
"We distribute millions of pounds of nutritious food through a network of more than 130 member agencies right across Toronto and we can’t do that without the support of the community,†said Gail Nyberg, Daily Bread’s Executive Director.
Member agencies include food banks and meal programs located in the inner suburbs of Toronto, an area that’s seen an increase in food bank visits according to the Who’s Hungry report Daily Bread released earlier this month. Since 2008, the city core has seen a 16% decrease in food bank visits, while the inner suburbs, including Scarborough and Etobicoke, have seen a 45% increase.
“A decrease in the city core is not a good news story when you see there’s an increase somewhere else in the city. Poverty and a lack of affordable housing are pushing people out of the downtown core and into food banks,†said Nyberg.
But you can help. Donations from our Thanksgiving Drive mean that we can provide food to people who would otherwise go hungry this Thanksgiving season. With your support, we provide food for almost 60,000 food hampers a month as well as thousands of meals served at hostels, shelters and other food programs.
With goals of $325,000 and 225,000 pounds of food, the Daily Bread warehouse is going to be bustling during the Thanksgiving weekend for our annual public food sort days. Which is why we’re so excited that our friends at Kellogg Canada, through their global Breakfasts for Better Days initiative, are sponsoring our two-day public food sort! They will also be donating snacks for volunteers and well over 35,000 pounds of food for our volunteers to sort!
Please note that the Thanksgiving Drive Public Food Sorts are completely booked.
CHRISTIE REFUGEE WELCOME CENTRE
Providing a safe and welcoming sanctuary for refugees
“Angel, are you getting new shoes?â€
The little girl proudly holds up a pair of fuzzy pink boots and nods her head at Lynne Neil, the administration and support coordinator for the Christie Refugee Welcome Centre (CRWC). The centre can house up to 65 refugees and has been a safe and welcoming sanctuary since 1989.
The Christie Refugee Welcome Centre provides a place of safety, welcome and support to refugees. The staff work hard to support the families coming through their doors. There is a medical clinic on site, staffed by doctors and a nurse practitioner; the summer camp program provided activities for the children at the centre before school starts – ESL games, arts and crafts and trips to the CNE. A variety of staff help people navigate a new country – from immigration to housing and education.
Once a week, Daily Bread’s truck arrives to deliver food, and in the new kitchen downstairs, three nutritious meals a day are prepared as well as snacks for those calling CRWC home. And in September, Angel and her friends will be at school as their parents deal with the endless waiting that comes before their first refugee hearing, which will help determine whether they can stay in Canada.
DAILY BREAD RELEASES NEWEST ANNUAL REPORT
183,000 pounds of canned fish, 126,000 cartons of eggs, 71,000 pounds of apples…150,000 pounds of carrots…and over 716,000 food hampers were distributed out to people struggling with hunger last year.
We couldn’t do it without you – our supporters, our donors, our volunteers and our member agencies. Daily Bread is here because people are struggling to put food on the table We’re here to make sure that people in one of the richest cities in Canada have enough to eat.
