Most Needed Food Bank Items

[Melody]

:Carol: Food bank donations are big this time of year. Here's a list of the most needed items from the Food Banks Canada website:

For corporate/business donations of food and consumer products, please contact us (http://www.cafb-acba.ca/main2.cfm?id=01C114D7-B6A7-8AA0-6515630D84074B7A) to arrange a pick-up, and we will coordinate sharing with food banks across the country.

If you are an individual, please take your donations directly to your local food bank.

Most Needed Food Items

Pasta products & Rice
Canned meats and fish
Dry and canned soups & stews
Canned fruit & vegetables
Flour
Breakfast cereal
Peanut butter
Canned/Powdered milk
Fruit Juices
Pasta Sauce
Beans & Legumes
Infant formula & Baby Food
Pet Food (check specific locations to ensure that they accept pet food)

Food Bank locations (http://www.cafb-acba.ca/main2.cfm?id=107184A2-B6A7-8AA0-6E9C8A6A9610C72B)

Please feel free to copy & paste charity lists elsewhere - the more people who see it, the better!

[Melody]

It's almost time to get those vegies planted, so I wanted to mention the Food Banks Canada "Plant a Row - Grow a Row" program.

Plant-A-Row • Grow-A-Row

This program has been developed through partnership between Food Banks Canada, the Garden Writers Association and The Composting Council of Canada. The strength of the program is based on the enthusiasm of gardeners across Canada who love to share their harvest with others. Now in its fourth gardening season, Plant-A-Row • Grow-A-Row has been encouraging gardeners to plant and grow an extra row of vegetables in their gardens and to donate the harvest to those in need. So far, the efforts of gardeners across Canada have yielded more than one million pounds of fresh produce donations!

If you would like to share the bounty of your garden with others, find out more at www.growarow.org (http://www.growarow.org/) .

[Melody]

:Emoticon_Christmas: As workplace and school food drives begin, it's always nice to have a reference list.

Remember pet food this year as you make your donations. Not all locations accept it but I think more are lately. I'd give the specific location a call before purchasing, just in case.

[Melody]

NEWS RELEASE
Food Banks Canada’s
HungerCount study shows largest year-over-year increase in food bank use on record
HungerCount 2009 provides essential information on levels of food bank use in Canada, profiles people in need of food assistance
Ottawa, November 17, 2009 –

The results of the HungerCount 2009 survey released
today show food banks across Canada helped 794,738 separate individuals in March
2009, an increase of 17.6%, or almost 120,000 people, compared to March 2008. This
represents the largest year-over-year increase since 1997.
Of the 794,738 people helped in March this year, 72,321 – 9.1% of the total – stepped
through the front door of a food bank for the first time.
"Food banks have unfortunately seen first-hand the effects of three recessions in three
decades," said Katharine Schmidt, Executive Director of Food Banks Canada, which
coordinated the annual national study.
"It is crucially important that, as we rebuild the economy, we begin to better address the
barriers that prevent too many Canadians from sharing in the national prosperity," Ms.
Schmidt said. "It is unacceptable that, for most of the past decade, more than 700,000
people every month have needed help from food banks just to get by."
The need for food banks increased in every region – the Western and Prairie provinces,
the North, Central and Eastern Canada. Alberta (+61%), Nova Scotia (+20%), Ontario
(+19%), and Manitoba (+18%) experienced the largest increases.
The profile of those assisted is as varied as in past years:
37% of those assisted by food banks are children and youth under 18 years old.
Nearly half of assisted households are families with children.
19% of households that turn to food banks for help each month are living on income from current or recent employment.
6.3% of assisted households report some type of pension as their primary source of income.

"It is likely that hunger in Canada is even more widespread than HungerCount findings
suggest," Ms. Schmidt said. "For every person who turns to a food bank for help, several
others in need of assistance do not ask for it. Canadians need to focus on long-term,
policy-based solutions to resolve the problem of hunger."
The HungerCount provides recommendations on how individuals, business, and
provincial and federal governments can improve the situation for Canadians trying to
cope with not being able to provide enough food for themselves and their families. For
the federal government specifically, recommendations include the following:
1. Maintain planned levels of federal transfers, including the Canadian Social Transfer,
to provincial, territorial, and First Nations governments.
2. Implement a national poverty prevention and reduction strategy, with measurable
targets and timelines.
3. Continue to increase uptake of the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) among low
income seniors.
4. Ensure that post-recession economic development and rebuilding takes account of
the needs of low income Canadians. Only by accounting for those most vulnerable to
hunger and poverty from the beginning can we arrive at an improved, inclusive social
and economic reality.
- 30 -
About the HungerCount Survey
HungerCount was initiated in 1989 and is the only national survey of emergency food
programs in Canada. Since 1997, data for the study have been collected every March.
The information provided by the survey is invaluable, forming the basis of many Food
Banks Canada activities throughout the year. For a full copy of the HungerCount 2009
report, and for more information, please visit
www.foodbankscanada.ca (http://www.foodbankscanada.ca).

About Food Banks Canada
Food Banks Canada is the national charitable organization representing the food bank
community across Canada. Our Members, Affiliate Member food banks, and their
respective agencies serve approximately 85% of people accessing emergency food
programs nationwide. Our mission is to meet the short-term need for food and find longterm
solutions to reduce hunger. Please visit www.foodbankscanada.ca (http://www.foodbankscanada.ca) for more
information.
Media contact:
Marzena Gersho, Food Banks Canada, 647-242-5919 (mobile) or (416)
203-9241, ext. 28 (office)

[Melody]

Our local food bank reports that donations are down and demand is up by at least 25%!

I've decided a good family project would be giving up the usual Christmas junk food binge and using that money for the food bank. I was looking down at a kitchen floor full of packed grocery bags after shopping last night and said how blessed we are. My Son said "Thanks for saying that, it made me feel good." Sometimes we forget and take it for granted, but a lot of people are really hurting this year. :no: Please share what you can.

[Pamelajo]

Oops Mel hit edit button in first post. We should keep all buttons locked until I had my morning coffee.

Hamilton meeting is taking donations at their meeting to help out the food bank in their area.

[Malibu]

I just wanted to add that a lot of places have an "Adopt a Family" Program. The Air Cadet squadron that I work with adopts one or two every year. We get the Cadets to bring in donations of food and money for about a month before they break for Christmas. Then, after we are finished our parade night on the last day before the holiday, the staff takes a few of the senior cadets to Wal-Mart, and we spend the money on presents for the family.

Last year we supported 2 families - one of which was a cadet's family - and we donated 2 HUGE rubbermaid totes full of food, including all the fixings for a full Turkey dinner, and about 5 gifts per family member. We did this with about $550 that we raised as well from the donations.

My favourite part of the experience is the shopping and wrapping of gifts until like 2am that night. Then we deliver the boxes to the families a couple of days before Christmas. It is always a tearful event when the families who didn't expect anything are presented with enough food for a month, and presents for their kids! :yes:

[Melody]

That's fantastic, Merry Christmas!

Check out this Toby Keith video (http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/toby-keith/santa-im-right-here--2152642) - it's hard to believe in our charmed lives that there are going to be letters like this for Santa. What some families wouldn't give just to have our fish equipment and computers to sell so they could get gifts for their children.

My Son and his buddies have decided to do an outdoor busking thing but take food bank items instead of money. It's just our little neighbourhood but it all counts and it sure says a lot about how good hearted teens are. We just hear about the bad ones more.

I'll be serving up some beverages of some sort, haven't worked it all out yet. ::D: Any suggestions? We want to keep it simple. If we blow money on a big party we might as well donate that money.

[Namor]

Hot drinks and baked goods might go over well...

[Melody]

If you'd like to view the details of the 2009 Hunger Count, you can download the .PDF (http://www.cafb-acba.ca/documents/HungerCount2009NOV16.pdf). It's eye-opening stuff, let me tell ya!

If you ever thought 'everyone is doing food drives, they have lots', think again - the report says that 31% of food banks did not have enough food to meet demand, and demand is increasing due to the recession.

Each can of food can really mean the difference between a family eating a meal or going without. That's something that a self-indulged society has a difficult time imagining, but it does happen way too often.::(:

[Pamelajo]

With all that has gone on this year, there is more than ever needing food. The Hamilton club did really well in collecting for the food bank. Our club is going to do something after Christmas to help restock for the new year.

[Melody]

:thumbup: It's so easy to do when a group is getting together anyway. We should really make a habit of it. :yes:

[Pamelajo]

People sometimes only think of the needy on the holidays, but they can use help all year.

[CACAdmin]

Yes, so many only think of the Food Bank at Christmas. At work we had a food drive back in October.

[Melody]

'Christmas in July' drives are a great thing too, since people get busy over Summer and forget to support charities.

Christmas drives are great because people are struggling to make a Christmas for their children as it is. Some people can only work when the weather is warmer too, so they work much less in the Winter. Then of course, other bills are high like heat and lights.

It's interesting to see the statistics regarding recent work and first timers. I think people often get it into their heads that the food will go to people who don't want to work, addicts, etc. While I'm sure that happens, many still have children so that's what I focus on, along with those who just need a hand for awhile until they get back on their feet.

There's also single parents who's ex-spouse doesn't help financially. I can't imagine supporting my Son alone and that's something I'll never have to worry about, thankfully, his Father is 100% dedicated to him and they're very close.

The banks are also a lot more diligent than I thought too. They ask for ID's, etc.

Looks like the weather might just cooperate for the boys' 'busking for banks' drive. I was worried about that. I hope the forecast holds! They're afraid people won't come as it is. I don't care if I have to haul them in off the street and kidnap them from malls, but people are showing up for those boys and that bank damnit!

[CACAdmin]

Fingers crossed for the weather for the boys busking endeavor. It's fantastic to see them put the effort into doing something to help others.

[Pamelajo]

Fingers crossed here too!

[Melody]

Food bank use in Canada hits highest level on record (http://edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20101116/food-bank-use-highest-yet-101116/20101116/?hub=EdmontonHome) :frown: Please help if you can.