Daily Bread launches fall food drive
Posted September 21, 2011 2:03 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
As Daily Bread food bank launches its fall food drive, the agency is releasing some troubling statistics about hunger in the GTA.
Daily Bread found the median monthly household income among food bank users is just $925. Among those users, Daily Bread found that 19 per cent of children go hungry at least one day per week. For adults, that number is 40 per cent.
This year, the agency hopes to raise $400,000 and collect 400,000 pounds of food during the fall drive.
Ever year, 1,082,000 people visit food banks in the Greater Toronto Area – and 908,000 of them use centres in Toronto.
That’s an increase of 14 per cent from 2008.
“Most of the people who are using food banks right now, a great number of them, have lost jobs,” said Gail Nyberg, Executive Director of the Daily Bread Food Bank.
David Borden relied on the food bank after he lost his job following an accident earlier this year.
“I had people from the food bank come and help me out. So I just decided to come down and basically help others. (To people who are donating), I would say thanks, to all of them. Because I received donations myself, when I was in need,” said Borden.
The Who’s Hungry: 2011 Profile of Hunger looks at why people use food banks, and who they are.
The study notes over the last five years there have been emerging trends among people coming to food banks. There are more single-person households, a larger percentage of people in the 45 to 64 age range, and more people with higher levels of education than there were five years ago.
Galit Solomon will have more on CityNews at Six.
You can make a financial donation online here, or by calling 416-203-0050. Cheques can be mailed to Daily Bread Food Bank, 191 New Toronto St., Toronto, Ont., M8V 2E7.
You can donate nutritious non-perishable food at any fire hall as well as at any Loblaws, Loblaw Great Food, Valu-mart, No Frills or Real Canadian Superstore between Sept. 21 and Oct. 14 — or come down to Citytv at Yonge-Dundas Square on Oct. 5. We’re having an all-day food drive that starts on Breakfast Television and ends at 7 p.m. Last year, your donations helped raise $13,000 and 10,000 pounds of food.
