On Friday December 2nd the CBC is hosting its 25th annual Food Banks Day. In response to this event, various BC anti-poverty organizations are writing to the CBC to ask them to change their food banks message and programming from a focus on charity to one of justice. Food banks are used to charity food drives and a general increase in donations around the holiday season, but community groups are calling for more – they want to see people supporting the end of poverty by tackling its root causes and not just donating to temporary measures. They want to see action.
Organized by BC group Raise the Rates, and with the support of the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, CBC is being asked to adjust its traditional Food Banks Day programming to include a social justice perspective of poverty. This would give viewers a chance to look at the root causes of poverty, vulnerable groups that are more likely to be struggling, and possible solutions to a national problem.
Food Banks have seen an increase in use since the 2008 recession, according to the recent Hunger Count 2011 report, but the problem of hunger is year-round and does not go away once the holiday season subsides. Programs, services and support need to be in place for individuals and families who are struggling. Low-wage jobs, welfare rates that are below the poverty line, and services that are spread across communities, provinces/territories and the country, which by their lack of coordination can end up as effectual, do not comprise an adequate response.
But talking about food banks can be a touchy subject, as a Queen’s Professor found out this past summer when she wrote an article titled, “It’s time to close Canada’s food banks“. Powers boldly stated in the Globe and Mail and on CBC radio, that food banks created a ‘smoke screen’ that takes pressure off the government to deal with the root cause of hunger: poverty. She also asserts that food banks will never solve hunger, and have moved beyond their original ‘temporary’ status to become a dependency for many people with low income, and corporations looking for ‘feel good’ contributions. These words have caused quite a stir and do not resonate with all people, but they also speak the truth.
Food Banks – an intended emergency response
In 1981 the first food bank opened its doors in Edmonton in response to the economic recession and a need to address hunger. This emergency measure was created as a temporary solution, and was never meant to be long term. Food Banks Canada, formerly the Canadian Association of Food Banks, had a three year mandate when they were first established, but continued when it was clear hunger was not going away. At the last Hunger Count report, almost 900,000 Canadians used a food bank in March of this year – a number that does not encompass the total of people going hungry in this country.
What has developed since their inception is a charitable model that allows individuals and corporations to offer donations with the satisfaction that they have assisted the low income population, and contributed to the end of hunger. While these donations are momentarily helpful, and are necessary in the current political climate, they contribute to a perpetual cycle of need – one that can only be broken with political will, federal funding, and progressive social policy that adequate addresses poverty, income security, and human rights.
Currently, there is a need for food banks, but lets look ahead to what steps we can put in place so no one needs to go hungry. Anti-poverty groups in BC are asking that CBC go beyond regular programming on Food Banks Day and include segments on what people can do to help eliminate poverty in Canada. This represents a growing need for open conversation on what appropriate action steps society must make – in all sectors, and at all levels of government.
There is a common goal among anti-poverty groups, food banks and community organizations, which is that we want to end the struggle of the low-income population. To achieve this there needs to be a focus that looks beyond charity, and considers basic human rights.
To join this conversation about food banks and hunger, join Raise the Rates at a public forum, “CHARITY or JUSTICE?” in Vancouver on Monday, November 28th at Grandview Calvary Baptist Church (1803 East 1st Ave). Speakers include long-time social justice advocate and former NAPO Board Member, Jean Swanson, along with Seth Klein, the Director for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives BC Office and co-chair of the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition.
