We Need You to Help End Poverty in Canada.
This October, Dignity for All supporters will be taking to the streets for the third annual ChewOnThis! Campaign. This fall, ChewOnThis! will bring together hundreds of volunteers from food banks, schools, churches and local non-profits to bring attention to the almost 900,000 people in Canada that continue to rely on food banks each month.
Last year, 45 groups in 37 communities across Canada organized ChewOnThis! events where they handed out paper bags with apples to passersby and used the opportunity to talk about food insecurity in Canada and the need for a national anti-poverty plan. Last year’s event was a huge success.
This year we’re planning to grow the event even more. We’re hoping that at least one hundred communities will join us in marking the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty with ChewOnThis! events.
Here are some facts that may surprise you:
- More than 1/3 of those helped by foodbanks are children.
- 62% of food insecure households earn the majority of their income from employment.
- Food insecurity is particularly significant in Northern Canada. In fact, 2 out of every 5 Northern households are food insecure.
Despite recommendations from the UN, Senate and House of Commons Committees, Canada has no national anti-poverty plan.
In a country as rich as Canada we think this is unacceptable. This October, the Dignity for All Campaign invites you to join us in our call to end hunger in Canada. We’re looking for regional organizers from across Canada to host ChewOnThis! events in their communities.
#WeNeedAPlan to end poverty in Canada. With the help of individuals and groups across Canada, the Dignity for All campaign has created a model plan. While ChewOnThis! is now in its third year, the context of the current election provides a unique opportunity to refocus the national conversation on food insecurity and poverty.
Together, we can encourage the federal government to work beyond Band-Aid solutions and commit to ending poverty.
To organize a local ChewOnThis! event, contact Darlene O’Leary at Darlene[at]cpj.ca.
