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Food drives experiencing the effects of our recessionary times

Food drives experiencing the effects of our recessionary times

Hard times are catching up to food drives.

They are showing signs of coming up short, too.

So don't be surprised if you hear or read that donations to the citywide drive in Welland a week ago are down compared to the previous year and down significantly compared to two years ago.

The great recession is taking a toll on donors. With more people out of work and more slipping into the working-poor demographic, the recession is eating away at the number of people in a position to give, and give generously.

Still, the decline in community giving may come as a surprise to some people. This may be attributable, at least in part, to the amount of pre-event publicity this food drive and one in neighbouring Port Colborne received in local media. With so much "ink" devoted to it, people were saying, how could it not meet or even surpass expectations?

The reality is that the emerging trend here mirrors findings in the most recent report prepared by the Ontario Association of Food Banks.

The report,In the Midst of the Storm: The Impact of the Economic Downturn for Ontario's Food Banks in 2009, presents anything but a rosy review of what food banks are contending with. It is noteworthy because the numbers within are up to date; the report was released just last month.

It lists four "key trends" that seem common to Welland's three food banks supported by the community at large: Hope Centre, Open Arms Mission and Salvation Army:

• Ontario's food banks are under tremendous pressure due to growing unemployment, continually increasing food prices and rising demand;
• Many of Ontario's food banks have witnessed a decrease in food and financial donations in the past year;
• The food supply of many of Ontario's food banks is precariously low;
• Ontario's food banks have been forced to respond to these challenges by purchasing more food, and in some cases, by rationing the available supply of donations.

Recent conversations with representatives of the three food banks established that the local experience matches the above. This is cause for alarm and for unprecedented concern, they say, because if current conditions persist, their ability to help people in need will be critically hampered.

A graphic, easy to grasp explanation of the cross currents causing havoc for food banks and their front-line workers is presented in the report. Here are several key facts that are bound to provide food for thought to those interested in hunger and food security issues ought to be aware of:

• 93% -- the number of Ontario food banks that report an increase in the number of clients who have recently lost a job in 2009;
• 227,000 -- the number of full-time jobs lost in Ontario since August 2008;
• 350,000 -- the number of neighbours who turn to food banks every month in Ontario;
• One in four -- the number of food banks in Ontario that have reduced the average amount of food distributed in their hampers;
• One-third -- one in three food banks report that their ability to meet the needs of their clients has decreased in 2009.

This report tells in no uncertain terms the hardships being experienced by ordinary people in our province, contradicting what so-called spin doctors would have us believe about economic conditions: yippee! things are on the upswing. Here is what the report says:

"Although some economists declare a technical end to the recession, Ontarians continue to lose jobs in the hundreds of thousands and individuals and families struggle to make ends meet with inadequate and inaccessible government supports. There is a great disconnect between fine calculations of economic growth and glossy economic action plans and the lives of a growing group of citizens with cloudy prospects for their future. It is clear the situation is very different on the front line."

Food security is emerging as a high priority local issue. Deservedly, it will be on the agenda of a poverty meeting being held Thursday, Nov. 19, at Notre Dame College School, the followup to a poverty summit that took place here in late spring.

A social justice website, www.educationforjustice.orgsays this about hunger: "The scandal of hunger is a failure of justice. One common and increasingly popular way to address hunger, particularly during the holiday season, is to hold a canned food drive for a local hunger centre or food bank. Those involved are motivated by the best intentions but may actually be making things worse." It says food drives may actually contribute to the problem because they fail to address the causes.

As expressions of charity, food drives do wonders in terms of collecting food, stocking shelves and providing the ingredients for serving meals. But justice is at the other side of this scale; if concerned about justice, we need to be: asking why people in our midst are hungry; advocating for change; empowering people to help themselves.

And it says we should be searching for answers to questions like: how does a local food drive balance charity with justice?; how does a food drive foster greater awareness of the plight of hunger in the community and move parties to advocate for change; how does a food drive not only provide food but build face-to-face relationships that enrich lives?

The next citywide food drive is Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010 -- still plenty of time for asking questions and looking for answers.

Welland Tribune
Joe Barkovich
Nov. 14, 2009