As Coltons, an exclusive designer clothing store that charges members $17,500 a year, opened in Richmond last spring, Food Banks Canada was counting the number of people going hungry across the country. And that number is rising.
The findings from the March HungerCount 2012 report were released Tuesday, and saw a 2.4 per cent increase in food bank use since March 2011, despite the fact that number has decreased in almost half the provinces.
Of the countrys three most populous provinces, Quebec saw a slight decrease, while use in Ontario and B.C. increased by 3.2 per cent and 6.6 per cent, respectively.
The findings are certainly in line with what weve been seeing here in Richmond, said Alex Nixon, Richmond Food Bank operations coordinator. We have about 1,350 people coming in per week. And about 35 per cent are children.
Richmond has the highest child poverty rate in the province, according to the 2006 Census data.
To help serve this population, students across Richmond will don costumes and go door-to-door tonight (Wednesday) with grocery bags in hand. Its not candy, but nonperishable food items theyll be trick-or-treating for. All collections go to the Richmond Food Bank for the annual Halloween 4 Hunger fundraiser.
I like helping the community and raising awareness, said Grade 11 Cambie secondary student Morsal Niyaz. Its an important issue because everyone deserves proper food.
Morsal and classmate Regina Arcilla are part of the World Committee at the school, which also participates in other hunger-related fundraisers such as the 30hr Famine.
Its really good to see the library fill up with cans so the rest of the school can see the progress as well, said Regina.
Before the recession, Nixon said Richmond Food Bank use was down to about 700 people per week in 2008.
There was a jump in 2009, and the numbers havent gone down since. Instead, theyve steadily increased.
This trend is consistent with the national numbers. The study found 55 per cent of food banks had to cut back the amount of food provided to each household due to more users, compared to only one third during the recession.
But its hard to say whether were reaching out to more people, which is why the numbers have gone up, or if theres actually been that much of an increase in need, said Nixon, adding the food bank now has Thursday evening distribution to help those who work during the day.
Nixon said B.C. could look to what other provinces are doing for solutions. Newfoundland has a Child Poverty Reduction Plan, for example.
There are many ways to do this [enact a plan], said Nixon. But its something B.C. has to do, considering we have one of the highest child poverty rates. Newfoundland saw a lot of success from its plan.
Ultimately, a food bank is not a solution, but a way to alleviate some of the problems for people living in poverty. Without government funding, food banks rely on the generosity of the local community.
Ironically, this dependence usually means communities most in need are least able to support food assistance programs.
The study made five recommendations, which included: increase federal funding for housing; improve pensions for seniors; and increase social assistance at a provincial level.
Nixon agreed that such recommendations will help many of the groups he sees passing through the doors of the food bank such as seniors, those with a mental or physical disability, or those who have to choose between food and housing.
Also, community campaigns such as Halloween 4 Hunger add a significant amount of food to the bank; about 400 pounds per school are donated during Halloween, according to Nixon.
Some schools such as McRoberts secondary fundraise for the food bank through events such as the drama clubs annual haunted house, where admission is by donation.
Although its important to help international causes, its also very important to help people in your immediate community, said Grade 12 student Hillary Chent.
This past week, the students have been competing with each other to see which homeroom collects the most nonperishable food items. The winner gets a Fresh Slice pizza party.
In elementary school, Halloween is all about receiving things, said William Enns, also in Grade 12. But this teaches us to give back to the community, as we transition into adulthood. We can change the community through giving back.
