Food Banks and the Holidays: A Quick Lowdown on a Bigger Issue

Source: Stockvault

Around this time of year, when many of us are planning celebrations and dinners with family and friends, it can be difficult to imagine that there are people in the city struggling just to get enough food.

Food banks in Canada, which are meant to offer emergency food aid to households and individuals, are stocked entirely by the donations of individuals and corporations. What might sound like a lot of donated food, however, in reality is often not enough to even prevent families from going hungry.

For the downtown food bank run by AIDS Vancouver, the donations received are only enough for them to open for four to six days a month, at best -- and with the impending holidays, many of its shelves are currently bare (Metro News).

All too often, food banks run out of fresh and non-perishable foods and are forced to ration their supplies and limit households to monthly food hampers. Proper nutrition and getting enough to eat are (obviously) essential to staying healthy. For people with HIV/AIDS, nutrition is especially important because of lower incomes and higher caloric needs, as well as part of maintaining health to keep the virus at bay.

• "Check expiry dates before donating to food bank" (CBC News)
• "Greater Vancouver Food Bank putting focus on nutritious menus" (24 Hours)
• "Vancouver food bank seeks solutions to end hunger" (Straight)
• "The problem with food banks" (The Tyee)

While the current food bank system is unable to actually prevent people from going hungry or adequately addressing wider problems of food insecurity -- in short, the inability to get enough healthy, affordable, and appropriate foods at all times -- and potentially plays a part in the problem, the emergency food and personal items that they provide are still very important for the individuals and families who visit their community food banks.

As the holidays approach, consider making a donation to your local food bank or a similar emergency food program. If you want to find out more about food banking in Canada, head on down to our links section at the bottom of this page.

Also, if you're registered to attend our Green Edible Holiday Gifts workshop on December 17, 2013, please remember to bring a non-perishable donation for the food bank!

Ideas on How, Where, When, and What to Donate
Food Bank Vancouver
Richmond Food Bank Society
Harvest Project
Blessings in a Backpack
Mission Possible (accepts meats and vegetables)
Charlie's Foodbank (pet food for low-income, people living outdoors, and senior pet caretakers)
Food Banks Canada