FeedMe Campaign
July 09, 2010
July 1st finale event was packed – and helped Food bank
By: Comox Valley Echo
The July 1st Committee’s finale masterminded by Marlene Oolo was a huge success. The Sharing the Spirit concert at Sid Williams Theatre played to a full house, plus many had to just stand in the lobby and watch on closed circuit. The electric feeling that sizzled in the crowd made for a very proud-to-be-a-Canadian ending to a very well attended July 1st in Courtenay.
People came with tins of food to the Concert, only if they wished, as the Concert is one of many venues that the City of Courtenay’s Committee offers on Canada Day cost free.
Marlene was able to take many boxes of tins to a very needy food bank. There is a low supply of food at the bank right now and all donations are greatly appreciated. In the summer people are so busy doing their own thing they forget there are families in the Valley who need our help all year.
The Food Bank is on 13th Street, located on the far side of the railway tracks in the 17th Street block.
Thank you to all the entertainers who made our July 1st a fantastic event, it was enjoyed by us all!
Jul
July 08, 2010
Food banks make a difference
By: The Chatham Daily News
What is a food bank? It is a place where food is collected in order to give to those in need to help sustain themselves or their family for a short period of time.
Canada’s first food bank was chartered in January of 1981. At that time, it was formed as a temporary solution to a problem.
No one foresaw that food banks would become permanent organizations in our communities.
In Chatham-Kent there are eight food banks — four locations served by The Salvation Army: Wallaceburg, Chatham, Blenheim, and Ridgetown; Outreach for Hunger, Chatham; Dresden Community Church; Wheatley Baptist Church and the Tilbury Information & H.E.L.P. Centre.
Chatham-Kent food banks are already seeing alarming statistics in the first half of 2010 … an overall increase of 30 per cent in the number of families requiring assistance with emergency food support — well over the increase that we saw in all of 2009.
This is a disturbing trend and one that is creating hardship for food banks.
They are challenged to stock enough food and personal needs (toilet tissue, feminine hygiene products and diapers, to name a few) for those who choose to ask for help — our neighbors, friends and family. Over one third of those using food banks in Ontario are children.
No one wants to be in a position where they are unable to adequately provide for themselves or their family. The high rate of unemployment, rising utility and food costs, and the overall cost of daily living contribute to the suffering that so many are experiencing.
The implementation of the HST may also place a further burden on those struggling to make ends meet.
Although we are a community rich in agriculture, a significant amount of produce is turned under every year because of a lack of a system where surpluses can be harvested and donated to food banks.
The Ontario Association of Food Banks is supporting the Farm Tax Credit bill which would provide farmers a tax credit on these donated surpluses. You can help by writing to your local MPP and asking them to support this important bill which will allow food banks access to more local, fresh and nutritious produce.
In the past, Max (not his real name), a seven year old child who has a passion to help others, has assisted his local food bank by donating pennies that he gathered.
As his birthday party approached, he prepared his invitations as usual, but instead of gifts, he asked his friends to donate non-perishable food items to help the food bank.
Thanks to all of our donors, young and old. You are making a difference and helping Chatham-Kent to be a better place.
For more information on Chatham- Kent food banks please contact Brenda LeClair at Outreach for Hunger 519-351-8381 or Beth Reeve at The Salvation Army 519-354-1430.
Jul
July 08, 2010
B.C. hockey player makes cross-Canada road trip for food banks
By: Laura Baziuk
Richard Loat, 21, has been driving across the country, playing the nation’s favourite game with locals in nine major cities for the past nine days as a fundraiser for food banks. Photograph by: Handout, PNG
What first started as a student’s road trip to play hockey across Canada has turned into a stellar fundraiser for food banks.
Richard Loat, 21, has been driving across the country, playing the nation’s favourite game with locals in nine major cities for the past nine days.
Loat, an avid writer for the Canucks Hockey Blog, had asked fellow sport enthusiasts on the social networking site Twitter to help organize the events, from Montreal to Victoria.
Then the Simon Fraser University student thought to make the trip “so much more than just a drive,” and the Five Hole for Food campaign was born.
“I thought it was a great way to play the sport that we all absolutely love and give back to the community,” said Loat, after arriving home in Vancouver from Edmonton. “It’s been a blur, the last two and a half months putting it together, and it’s been fantastic so far.”
In each city, the community is invited to come out for a friendly game and bring donations to the local food bank. The players with the most items earn some neat prizes.
“Helping the food banks is such a great cause because the shelves are empty now since the Christmas and Thanksgiving food drives,” said Loat, who has organized other fundraisers in Vancouver, such as the Seawalk Run. “Any food that we raise, you know it gets used two or three days later. It has this immediate impact.”
His goal was to raise one tonne of food in total, and with the stops in Victoria and Vancouver left, he’s close, with already 1,959 pounds collected.
“It just sets the bar higher for next year,” he said.
Players in Calgary battled it out wearing Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames jerseys, which Loat said he plans to do again in Vancouver. There, he collected the most donations from one person so far: 640 pounds of food.
“We’re hoping Vancouver doesn’t just beat that, but that they smash it,” he said.
The puck drops on Granville Street, between Robson and Smithe, at 5:30 p.m. Friday. The Vancouver Giants are set to show up, Loat said, and prizes for most donations are a hockey stick signed by the Canucks, and a signed photo of team captain Roberto Luongo.
Jul
July 08, 2010
Minister lauded for “living his faith”
By: Mark Hoult
Minister lauded for “living his faith.
A Presbyterian clergyman has been recognized for “living his faith.”
Rev. Roger Millar was presented the 2010 Asphodel-Norwood Community Recognition Award last week during Canada Day celebrations at the community centre.
Millar, who runs the Norwood and District Ministerial Food Bank, said he accepted the award on behalf of the Norwood Ministerial Association and the dedicated volunteers who staff the food bank and provide assistance to local residents who are “a little bit down on their luck and need a helping hand.”
Following the presentation, Millar turned to Jack Stewart, standing on the stage behind him, and said being the 10th recipient of the award is an honour because it originated with a man “who has made many contributions to the community over the years.”
The Asphodel-Norwood Community Recognition Award was created and sponsored by Stewart and his late wife Marguerite to honour individuals or groups making significant contributions to and having a positive effect on the community.
Millar, who was nominated for his work at the food bank, said more people are using such services because of tough economic conditions.
“Food banks were supposed to be a short-term solution,” he said, adding that the day such services are no longer needed has yet to come. “I pray that day will come. In the meantime, we’ll continue to support the least fortunate in our community.”
Jul
July 07, 2010
Food drive to be held at Bomber game
By: Staff Writer
For the eighth year in a row, Purolator is looking to help Winnipeg Harvest re-stock its shelves with a major food drive at this Friday’s Blue Bomber game against the Toronto Argonauts.
As an added enticement to help fans remember to bring a non-perishable food item or make a cash donation to the Purolator volunteers at the stadium gates, fans will a chance to have their picture taken with the Grey Cup and enter to win a trip for two to the 2010 Grey Cup in Edmonton.
Last year at a Bomber game Purolator helped collect about 40,450 pounds of food for Winnipeg Harvest.
All proceeds from the food drive will help support Winnipeg Harvest, which distributes food to more than 48,000 people every month.
Blue Bomber Quarterback Buck Pierce will visit Winnipeg Harvest with Purolator and the Grey Cup at a media event Thursday afternoon to show support for the eighth annual Purolator Tackle Hunger.
“Hunger doesn’t take a break in the summer. It is a season when food donations are needed the most, so we’re asking Blue Bombers fans to help the Winnipeg community stock food bank shelves by donating cash or food on their way to the game,” said Pierce.
And even if you do forget to bring a tin for the bin or even some extra cash Purolator has set up a way to allow fans text a donation.
Fans can text TACKLE to 30333 to make a one-time donation of $5, which will be added to people’s mobile phone bill. One hundred per cent of the proceeds support Food Banks Canada.
More information on Purolator Tackle Hunger program can be found on-line cfl.ca/purolator.
Jul
Jul 02, 2010
Just-Eat Canada Inc.: Free Pizza Tuesdays To Benefit Ottawa Food Bank!
Canada’s Largest Online Food Ordering Service to Offer Free Pizza & Donation to the Ottawa Food Bank in July
To celebrate our launch in the nation’s capital and thank the Ottawa area for welcoming us into the region, Just-Eat.ca has partnered with Milanos Pizzeria to give away FREE pizza, every Tuesday in July.
So what’s the catch?
There is none.
Literally, straight up, free tasty pizza for you! No minimum purchase required, no need for credit card details, just order, just enjoy.
To order your free pizza, simply -
- Go to www.Just-Eat.ca
- Enter the first 3 characters of your postal code
- Click on Milanos Pizzeria
- Look for the free pizza menu and select your pizza
- Choose your delivery time and proceed with your order
- Select Cash on Delivery as payment
- Wait for your FREE PIZZA!
But that’s not all – for every free pizza ordered in Ottawa, Just-Eat.ca will donate $1.00 to the Ottawa Food Bank.
Not only will you be able to enjoy a freshly prepared pizza from Milanos, you’ll also be eating easy in the knowledge that your free meal is helping to benefit those in need through the Ottawa Food Bank.
For every dollar donated from Just-Eat.ca it allows the Ottawa Food Bank to distribute five dollars worth of groceries into the community.
So eat up Ottawa and pass this on to your friends and family! Enjoy your pizza and do a good deed care of Just-Eat.ca, Milano Pizzeria and the Ottawa Food Bank.
EDITORS NOTES
Just-Eat
- Just-Eat was founded in Denmark in 2000
- Just-Eat services 40,000 meals a day across Europe and Canada.
- Just-Eat has over 250 restaurants signed up to its Canadian site and uses it’s proprietary Just-Eat technology to offer a seamless on-line ordering service including latest menu’s, over 10,000 customer reviews, secure card ordering and automatic confirmation of orders and delivery times.
The Ottawa Food Bank
- 43,000 people per month receive emergency food assistance through the programs supplied by the Ottawa Food Bank. Nearly 40% of those receiving help are children.
- The Ottawa Food Bank supports more than 135 food programs throughout the National Capital Region.
- The Food Bank distributes 12 tons of food each and every working day.
- Each dollar donated allows the Ottawa Food Bank to distribute five dollars worth of groceries into the community.
For more information, please contact
Just-Eat Canada
David Power
Managing Director
(647) 478 5072
dp@just-eat.ca
or
Ottawa Food Bank
Chris Cline
Communication & Events Coordinator
(613) 745 7001
chris@ottawafoodbank.ca
Jul
Jun 30, 2010
A solution for hunger and poverty
A viewpoint by Morwenna Steed
Hunger is a serious problem in this world, much more serious than most of us realize. How serious, do you ask? More than one billion people go hungry every day. That is more people than the populations of the United States, Canada and the European Union combined.
Food has never before existed in such abundance, yet one in seven people on this earth are going hungry.
Most of us realize at a certain level the wealth in this world is unequally distributed. However, because of the magnitude of the problem, it is difficult to grasp the pandemic that food-related diseases are today, whether it is because of a surplus of food or a lack of it. According to the World Health Organization, there are 1.1 billion overweight people in the world right now, with the same number of people undernourished. The amount of money spent daily in the United States on obesity-related diseases and weight loss programs is 10 times the amount of money it would cost to feed the hungry people in the world today.
Access to food and other resources is not a matter of availability. Rather, it’s connected with one’s ability to pay. This leads to a situation where one section of the world population (those with the most money) has an excess of resources while at the same time another section (those with little to no money) goes hungry. Indeed, globally the richest 20 percent of humanity controls around 85 percent of all wealth, while the poorest 20 percent control only 1.5 percent.
In understanding poverty and how it relates to hunger, it is important to illustrate that food in this world is treated as a commodity. This means those who get food are the ones who can afford to pay for it. People who don’t have enough money to buy food (think about the 1 billion people who live on less than $1 a day) don’t count in the food equation. No one is going to grow food for you when you don’t have the money to buy it. You don’t expect The Gap or
Adidas to manufacture clothes and sneakers for those people earning less than $1 per day.
What can be done to solve this horrendous problem? Anyone who wants to address the issue of world hunger needs to look at world poverty. The important thing to realize in helping the poor is that we Westerners cannot solve their poverty for them. Only the poor can liberate themselves: genuine freedom can only be won for people by themselves. We can, however, aid the poor by giving them tools: knowledge, resources and policies that would support them in releasing themselves from bondage.
Going against popular belief that more aid will help the hungry, I argue that our primary responsibility is not to simply send more money in the form of foreign aid. Our primary responsibility is to make certain our government’s policies are not making it harder for people to end their hunger. There is certainly a need for foreign aid, yet experience has shown that foreign aid is only as good as the recipient government. Or in other words: Foreign aid only reinforces the status quo. This means aid in and of itself cannot transform anything. On the contrary, it often works against the poor by reinforcing the very dynamics that work against them.
The issue is not whether we should or should not give something to developing countries, but how to give with minimal negative consequences. One of the problems of foreign aid is the actual money often doesn’t reach the poor, the people who need it the most. When we send money or supplies, our job is to make sure this aid is going to make a long lasting, substantial difference. Breaking the poverty cycle for the poor includes more than providing food. It includes investing in education, infrastructure and social services such as health care.
An immediate step we as citizens can take is to tell our representatives the best use for our money is not supporting the status quo but alleviating the largest economic barriers to true development in third world countries, such as reducing these countries’ foreign debt and supporting education and infrastructure. We should not think or act as though we know better than they or that we can or should tell them what to do simply because we have more money, yet we can support these countries by sharing our resources, knowledge and time to help them support their poor.
Morwenna Steed is from Voorschoten, The Netherlands.
Jul
Jun 27, 2010
G20 Summit final statement
Leaders call for more at-home spending
Summits matter to Canadians: PMO
The G-20 Toronto Summit Declaration
Preamble
In Toronto, we held our first Summit of the G-20 in its new capacity as the premier forum for our international economic cooperation.
2. uilding on our achievements in addressing the global economic crisis, w have agreed on the next steps we should take to ensure a full return t growth with quality jobs, to reform and strengthen financial systems, and tocreate strong, sustainable and balanced global growth.
3. Our effors to date have borne good results. Unprecedented and globally coordinated fical and monetary stimulus is playing a major role in helping to restor private demand and lending. We are taking strong steps toward incrasing the stability and strength of our financial systems. Significantly incrased resources for international financial institutions are helping stabilis and address the impact of the crisis on the world’s most vulnerable. Ongoin governance and management reforms, which must be completed, will also enhance the effeciveness and relevance of these institutions. We have successfully maintained ur strong commitment to resist protectionism.
4. But serious challengs remain. While growth is returning, the recovery is uneven and fragile unemployment in many countries remains at unacceptable levels, and the soial impact of the crisis is still widely felt. Strengthening the recovery is key. To sustain recovery, we need to follow through on delivering existingstimulus plans, while working to create the conditions for robust privatedemand. At the same time, recent events highlight the importance of sustainable publicfinances and the need for our countries to put in place credible, proerly phased and growth-friendly plans to deliver fiscal sustainability, diferentiated for and tailored to national circumstances. Those countrieswith serious fiscal challenges need to accelerate the pace of consoldation. This should be combined with efforts to rebalance global demand to elp ensure global growth continues on a sustainable path. Further progress is also required on financial rpair and reform to increase the transparency and strengthen the balance seets of our financial institutions, and support credit availability andrapid growth, including in the real economy. We took new steps to bild a better regulated and more resilient financial system that seres the needs of our citizens. There is also a pressing need to complete thereforms of the international financial institutions.
5. Recognizing the importance of achieving strong job growth and providing social protecion to our citizens, particularly our most vulnerable, we welcome the rcommendations of our Labour and Employment Ministers, who met in April 2010,and the training strategy prepared by the ILO in collaboration with the OEC.
6. We are determined to be accountable for the commitments we hae made, and have instructed our Ministers and officials to take all neessary steps to implement them fully within agreed timelines.
Read more: G20 Summit final statement
Jul
Jun 28, 2010
The accomplishments of the G8, G20 Canada summit meetings
By: Stephanie Dearing
“What binds the G8 nations together,” begins the G8 Muskoka Declaration, “is a shared vision that major global challenges must and can be addressed effectively through focus, commitment and transparency, and in partnership with other concerned members of the global community.” The G8 nations — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — meet once a year. The G8 summit in Huntsville also saw invited guests participate in discussions about Africa. The agenda put together by Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper included Development; Food Security; Africa; Environmental Sustainability and Green Recovery; Trade and Investment; and International Peace and Security. The broad topics were the jump-off points for more in-depth discussions and negotiations.
The key agreement to come from Muskoka was what is called The Muskoka Initiative. This was Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s main focus, and the resulting agreement on enhancing maternal, infant and child under five health initiative in developing countries will see $5 billion contributed by the G8 nations over 5 years time. The initiative is a way of meeting Millennium Development Goals, and is for the express purpose of significantly reducing “the number of maternal, newborn and under five child deaths in developing countries.” Harper was pleased his efforts to broker the the initiative were fruitful, saying in a press release issued June 26
“I am very pleased to announce Canada’s contribution to this critical initiative. Our contribution will make significant, tangible differences in the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people. Canada led the way in mobilizing support among G-8 and non-G-8 leaders, key donors and private foundations for this initiative to reduce the mortality rates of mothers and their children. We have been successful.”
Canada will contribute $2.85 billion to the initiative over the five-year period. International Development agencies and women’s groups, however, are not so quick to applaud the Muskoka Initiative. Plan Canada said the $5 billion
“… falls far short of what Plan Canada and other NGOs are calling for from G8 leaders in order to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health by 2015.”
While Plan encouraged the G8 nation leaders to contribute more, Plan also said
“… Collectively however, the G8 failed to step up to its fair share of what is urgently needed globally to save the lives of millions of women and children. The longer it takes to fill the more than $30 billion MDG funding gap for maternal, newborn and child health, the more lives will be lost.”
Note: MDG = Millennium Development Goal
Read more: The accomplishments of the G8, G20 Canada summit meetings
Jul
Jun 28, 2010
Rebates soften HST sting for starters
B.C., Ontario residents to pay extra for some things
By: Garry Marr, Financial Post
Photograph: National Post
The cheque is in the mail.
But it’s going to take more than a one-time payment to ease the suspicion consumers have that the new harmonized sales tax isn’t going to cost them extra.
Starting July 1, Ontario and British Columbia will both implement a new harmonized sales tax to replace the GST and provincial sales tax. The HST will be applied to a host of new services that have never faced provincial taxes before.
The only provinces now without an HST are Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island. In Nova Scotia, the HST will rise from 13% to 15% on Canada Day.
For Ontario and B.C. residents, everything from real estate services to cemetery plots to hair cuts will suddenly face the new tax. While the theory is HST will reduce business costs — and ultimately prices –many are not convinced.
“The government is giving rebates to people to assist them,” says David Schlesinger, head of indirect tax at KPMG.
The HST assistance is temporary, however, because it is expected that as businesses save from their own tax exemptions and a centralized collection system, the savings will be passed on to consumers.
“Prices will get lower over a period. We can all be cynical about that, but the reality is prices will go down, especially in a competitive marketplace,” says Mr. Schlesinger. “The ideology of the rebate is to allow for the period of time before those savings get pushed down in prices and to have a little more money in consumer pockets.”
In Ontario, single people making less than $80,000 are eligible for three $100 rebate cheques. Single parents and couples with less than $160,000 in net income collect $330 this June and then payments of $335 in December, and in June, 2011.
In British Columbia, individuals with incomes up to $20,000 will receive a $230 HST credit, and families with incomes up to $25,000 will receive a $230 HST credit per family member. About 1.1 million British Columbians will benefit from the credit.
Most items, like cars, computers and televisions are unaffected by the new tax because they are already subject to provincial sales tax. However, if any of those items break down and need repair, you’ll be paying HST on the whole repair, including labour. Before the HST, you would have paid provincial sales tax and GST on only the parts.
“The big thing that will affect most people is energy,” says Mr. Schlesinger, adding most people don’t consume services on a daily basis so it doesn’t seriously affect them.
British Columbia residents will get a break there because the province will provide a credit for energy –electricity, natural gas, heating fuel, heat, steam, propane, kerosene, firewood and pellets — purchased for residential use.
Read more: Rebates soften HST sting for starters
