“Reducing household food insecurity, and the poverty that underlies it, is a win-win situation. It is a win for people facing low income, and for Canada as a whole. One does not need to look far to find many libraries worth of evidence that poverty is a key negative influence on health. Reducing low income leads to better health, which leads to higher levels of economic participation and lower costs related to health care and social services.”

— Food Banks Canada, Hunger Count 2012

Here is the hunger news from our northern neighbors, and  my “Home and Native Land” …

The Numbers:

According to Food Banks Canada:

• each month, 882,188 Canadians need to rely on food banks to feed their families
• 31% more Canadians rely on food banks now, than before the recession
• over one third are children and teens
• 14% of the elderly Canadian population who live alone, are impoverished
• 3.2 million Canadians live in poverty

The Solutions:

Food Banks Canada recommends some small policy changes that will help rectify some of the root causes of hunger and poverty:

• make housing more affordable, and therefore more attainable
• increase social investment in Northern Ontario
• make pensions more adequate for the seniors who are impoverished, and who are experiencing food insecurity, as well as health issues
• invest in good quality, support-intensive social assistance programs
• address the issue of the decline in well-paying jobs

For more solutions, itemized in the Say No To Hunger campaign petition(sponsored by Food Banks Canada), go to:

http://www.saynotohunger.ca/SayNoToHunger/Our-Solution.aspx

Canadians, you may want to consider signing the petition!