Join the Movement: ChewOnThis! 2016 is Around the Corner

It’s that time of year again! The Dignity for All campaign is getting ready for our fourth annual ChewOnThis! event across the country, and we’re looking for volunteer organizers to help bring the message that #WeNeedAPlan to end poverty in Canada.

Food banks were started in Canada in the early 1980s as a temporary way to address hunger. They were never intended to be a permanent measure.

On Monday, October 17^th, 2016, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, we’re getting ready to thank the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development for committing to the creation of a Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy. We want to spread the message that the voices of people across the country – particularly those living in poverty – must be heard in the process of creating, implementing and monitoring a plan.

Last year, over 51 teams joined the campaign by handing out ChewOnThis! materials and engaging passersby on food insecurity and the need for a national anti-poverty plan. This October, we’re planning to have 100 groups across the country join us as we draw attention to poverty and food insecurity in Canada.

Are you interested in joining the ChewOnThis! movement? Here are some simple how-to steps:

You can sign up simply by sending an email Kathleen at [email protected].

We know that frontline workers are tired of seeing people living in poverty with no long term solution in sight, so talk to your networks and to local food banks, meal programs, and shelters to find volunteer participants. There’s no target number of volunteers, but it’s good to have  at least six people for one site. If potential volunteers in your area contact us, we’ll let you know!

Choose a place that is visible with high pedestrian traffic over the lunch hour. Depending on the number of volunteers you have participating, you may want to have several sites (roughly 6-10 volunteers per site). You may also want to plan a bad weather location, such as at a local mall. Be aware that certain locations may require a permit from City Hall.

We will send you the bags, postcards, a sign-up sheet, buttons and clipboards, but it’s up to you to get the apples (or a similar snack – some Northern communities have used bannock in past events) and to pack the bags. Some organizers may have a budget for apples or snacks, while others may need to source donations. For assistance in reaching out to vendors in your area, see the “food vendors” letter included in your organizer information package.

We will be accepting orders as of mid-August. There will be a simple order form on the Dignity for All website ChewOnThis! page for you to select how many postcards, bags, buttons and magnets you need. Remember that we also have materials en français. Once orders are made, packages will be couriered to your location in September.

Gather a team and pack up your bags before you hand them out on the big day on October 17^th.

Take pictures of your event! Contact your local Member of Parliament! Call your local newspaper! On October 17^th take to the streets and join the movement across the country as we draw attention to the need for a rights-based national anti-poverty plan.

Get started by sending an email to Kathleen at [email protected]. Lend your voice to ChewOnThis! this International Day for the Eradication of Poverty as we call for action on poverty!