Give a Toonie, Feed a Family Teaching Hunger Awareness

Hunger in Canada Hunger is on the rise in Canada In a typical month during 2013, food banks nationwide provide food to 833,000 people More than 1/3 of these are children Food bank usage is 23% higher than in 2008

Hunger in Ontario In March 2013, about 375,814 people were helped by food banks in Ontario This has also increased by about 19.6% since 2008 Ontario has more people using food banks than any other province in Canada More than double that of Quebec

Hunger in Mississauga Surprisingly, about 17% of Mississauga residents live in poverty That’s over 121, 000 people Food banks in Mississauga support 65, 000 clients each month, about 9% of Mississauga residents 37% of which are children That means there are over 56,000 people in Mississauga who may be going hungry each month because they are unable or don’t know how to access a food bank

Food Banks in Mississauga There are a number of food banks in Mississauga that serve clients directly in different areas of the city. These local food banks in Mississauga include: Compass Market Food Bank Eden Community Food Bank Battleford and Unity locations Malton Food Bank Seva Food Bank Wolfedale Rd and Malton locations St. Mary’s Food Bank Coopers and Dundas locations

Eden Community Food Bank Food collection activities occur in the community Food distribution occurs during the 6 food bank shifts which occur out of 2 locations every week, when clients come in to pick up food for their families. This also happens when people order a Fresh Produce Box, which they order by Thursday and pick-up and pay for on Fridays The food bank provides advocacy services to inform clients about other available resources and services in the community Community learning kitchen 4 – pronged approach Cooking classes for clients (healthy and nutritious) Employment training Meal production (frozen meals to be distributed through our food bank) Kitchen sharing (other groups in community can make use of it for their clients)

Eden Community Food Bank Eden Community Food Bank serves hungry people who live in western Mississauga In 2013, between 300 and 400 families visited the food bank each month An average of 1,200 people received food and other assistance on a monthly basis 42% of these were children

Eden Community Food Bank Approximately 426,000 lbs of food was collected and distributed in 2013 Each person received about 28 lbs of food per visit A family of 4 got about 100 lbs of food Each family receives a quantity and variety of food to make healthy, nutritious meals for 7 – 10 days On average, clients spend 75% of their income on rent and utilities  many clients have to choose between a roof over their head or food for their families because they cannot afford both

2013 Key Facts 12,436 individual visits were made to Eden Community Food Bank in tons of food was collected in 2013 That’s the same weight as 53 ELEPHANTS!!! 212 tons of food was distributed in 2013 That’s a value of over $1,000,000 in food distributed to hungry families in one year 100% of the food and funds are raised in the community and distributed and spent in the community in which Eden Community Food Bank serves

How WE can make a difference TOGETHER! If you buy $10 worth of FOOD the food bank will distribute $10 worth of food to hungry families in our community If you DONATE $10 to the food bank, they can acquire and distribute up to $100 worth of food to people in need Their current average is about $45 worth of food for every $10 donated

How can a $10 donation provide $100 worth of food? As a food bank, Eden Community Food Bank has a greater purchasing power than the average person When purchasing food, the food bank connects directly with food distributers such as the Ontario Food Terminal and… Donated products help to lower the cost Eden is given a discount for being a food bank Eden buys products in bulk and may also be given discounts for such large purchases

The Peanut Butter Example Peanut butter is a staple item that is commonly needed at food banks, however, peanut butter is expensive (about $5.00 per jar) When Eden Community Food Bank purchases peanut butter they buy 2 whole skids and they are given: A discount for being a food bank Bulk purchase discount Some peanut butter is donated SO… one jar of peanut butter costs Eden Food Bank $0.50 instead of $5.00!!!

TOONIE TUESDAY On a Tuesday in November, Eden Community Food Bank asks students to help people in need in their community by donating a Toonie to the food bank Every $2.00 donated helps Eden food bank to provide the food needed for 4 MEALS for a local family!!!

TOONIE TUESDAY Please donate as much as you can to our Toonie Tuesday fundraiser this November and help to feed families in need in your community! THANK YOU!

Resources Eden Community Food Bank Handout – “Food Bank Facts” Eden Community Food Bank – “Food for Thought: Winter 2013” newsletter pamphlet - “Hunger Count 2013” PDF document “Hunger at a Glance”