in the midst of the storm: the impact of the ...ing: milk, peanut butter, pasta, ﬂ our, canned...

1IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM

IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM:THE IMPACT OF THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN FOR ONTARIO’S FOOD BANKS IN 2009

OCTOBER 2009

SPECIAL REPORT

2 IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM

The Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB) is a a network of food banks across the province including 100 communities across Ontario, from Ottawa to Windsor and Thunder Bay to Niagara Falls. The organization has helped serve its mem-bers since 1992 and has four major aims to achieve its vision of working towards a hunger-free Ontar-io.

We acquire and distribute food across On-tario. With the help of our dedicated partners, the OAFB obtains and ships perishable and non-per-ishable food from our donors to food banks in com-munities across the province. In 2008, we acquired and distributed seven million pounds of food across Ontario.

We ensure member food banks meet certain standards of safety, quality and ethics. Food banks have a responsibility to the communities that they serve. We help member food banks en-sure that they can provide safe, high quality and ethical service to their community.

All inquiries regarding this publication should be directed to:Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB)555 Bloor Street West, 2nd FloorToronto, ON M5S 1Y6Tel: 416.656.4100 Fax: 416.656.4104Email: [email protected] Web: www.oafb.ca

About Us

Publication InformationAuthor: Adam SpenceDesign & Photography: Adam SpenceEdited by: Nicola CernikData Sources: There are two major sources of data for this report. The fi rst major data source is the annual member survey for the Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB). This is an online survey of member food banks conducted over a two week period in August in order to get a better understanding of the challenges that food banks face in their operations. The response rate of Ontario’s food banks for this survey was 67.3 per cent in 2009. The second major data source is labour force and retail food price data from Statistics Canada.© Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB), October 2009

We provide support to our members through grants and professional development. Although food banks across Ontario come in all shapes and sizes, many face the same challenges of raising funds, directing distribution operations and man-aging staff and volunteers. We help with the shar-ing of best practices and offer professional develop-ment for our members. In addition, we also provide operating and capital grants to improve food distri-bution activities.

We reduce poverty through policy, programs and projects. It is the responsibility of the OAFB to tell the story of food banks and those served by food banks, and educate the public on the issues of hunger and poverty facing Ontarians. These efforts are supported by diligent research and the devel-opment of long-term, credible solutions. Beyond policy, we also work to reduce poverty on the front line through province-wide programs, and poverty reduction projects in selected communities.


Key Trends1. Ontario’s food banks are under tremendous pressure due to growing unemployment, continually increas-ing food prices, and rising demand. The circumstances faced by Ontario’s food banks are diffi cult. Over 225,000 full-time jobs have been lost in the province over the past twelve months. The price of groceries continues to rise at a rate well beyond infl ation (4 per cent versus -0.8 per cent). Key items like milk, baby food, pasta, and peanut butter have risen substantially since January of last year, placing pressure on many more families and food banks looking to stretch their budgets for food purchases and other house-hold basics. Moreover, rising demand has placed pressure on the existing operations of Ontario’s food banks. Over 350,000 Ontarians are turning to food banks every month in 2009, a fi gure that has increased by 20 per cent since last year.

2. Many of Ontario’s food banks have witnessed a decrease in food and fi nancial donations in the past year.Many food banks have struggled with declines in food donations in 2009. Approximately one in three food banks in Ontario have seen a decline in individual and corporate food and fi nancial donations in 2009.

3. The food supply of many of Ontario’s food banks is precariously low. Many of Ontario’s food banks have reported that they do not have enough food to meet the needs of their clients. 37.9 per cent of food banks reported that they did not have enough food to meet the needs of their clients in 2009; and one in three reported that their ability to meet clients’ needs had declined this year. These fi gures are particularly worrying, as they are the highest proportions of reported challenges with food supply since data collec-tion began in 2005.

4. Ontario’s food banks have been forced to respond to these challenges by purchasing more food, and in some cases, by rationing the available supply of donations. Food banks have needed to purchase much more food in order to try to keep up with the demand for support over the past year. Seventy three (73) per cent of food banks are spending more money on food in 2009 compared to 2008, and average monthly expenditures on food by Ontario’s food banks have increased by 84.2 per cent. As a result, many food banks expect to spend more money than anticipated on food purchases. A majority (54 per cent) of food banks will be over budget on food purchases in 2009. Unfortunately, there are some food banks that have needed to re-duce their hamper sizes in order to meet the challenge of the growing food defi cit. One in four food banks in Ontario have needed to reduce the average amount of food distributed in hampers in 2009.


Key Facts

Ninety three per cent of Ontario’s food banks report an increase in the number

of clients who have recently lost a job in 2009.

93% Ontario has lost 227,700 full-time jobs since August 2008.

The average weekly expenditure for a typi-cal family of three would have increased by

$432.64 annually since January 2008. This equals over fi ve weeks worth of groceries.

+$432.64G R O C E R Y B I L L

One in three food banks in Ontario report that

their ability to meet the needs of their clients has

decreased in 2009.

The price of many items on the gro-

cery lists of families across Ontario have

increased by over ten (10) per cent since

January 2008, includ-ing: milk, peanut

butter, pasta, fl our, canned soup, baby food, and potatoes.

+10%PRICE INCREASE

Thirty six (36) per cent of On-tario’s food banks have wit-

nessed a decrease in corporate food donations in 2009.

Average monthly expendi-tures on food by Ontario’s food banks have increased by 84.2 per cent between

2008 and 2009.

+82%I N C R E A S E I N F O O D

E X P E N D I T U R E S

Seventy three (73) per cent of food banks are spending more money on food in 2009 compared to 2008.73%

SPENDING MORE ON FOOD

Fifty four (54) per cent of food banks will be over budget on food purchases in 2009.

O V E R B U D G E T54%

350,000 neighbours turn to food banks every month in Ontario.

37 per cent of On-tario’s food banks do not have enough food to meet the needs of

their clients.

37%350,000NEIGHBOURS

227,000FULL TIME JOBS LOST

Since January 2009, one in four (24.5 per cent) food banks in Ontario have reduced the average

amount of food distributed in their hampers.REDUCING HAMPER SIZESOne in Four

One thirdREPORTING REDUCED

ABILITY

36%REPORTING CORPORATE FOOD

DONATION DECLINE


Introduction Ontario’s food banks have been faced with the temporary prospect of empty shelves and long line-ups for almost three decades. It is a function of a volunteer driven operation supported almost solely by private donations of food and funds that there will be occasional gaps that can be quickly fi lled with the generosity of a single donor or a commu-nity group that responds to the call to action. This year is very different. Food banks are not merely facing a few weeks of short supply due to a dry summer of few donations and a slight uptick in demand for services. It will be our most diffi cult fall since our operations began in Ontario. We are now facing the full force of a terrible economic storm that has settled over us for the foreseeable future. Although some economists de-clare a technical end to the recession, Ontarians continue to lose jobs in the hundreds of thousands and individuals and families struggle to make ends meet with inadequate and inaccessible government supports. There is a great disconnect between fi ne calculations of economic growth and glossy eco-nomic action plans and the lives of a growing group of citizens with cloudy prospects for their future. It is clear that the situation is very different on the front line. This recession has struck with the same severity as the downturn that forged food banks in the early

eighties and the recession of the nineties where we saw our greatest growth. We saw the early warn-ing signs of this storm as it gathered strength last summer. We also saw the early effects of the downturn in late 2008 as the global economic actors began to have a tremendously negative impact on the real lives of many families in Ontario. As circumstances continued to deteriorate, we projected alarming in-creases in poverty over the coming years. We wish that our forecasts were incorrect. Unfortunately, our collective circumstances have followed our projected trends. As we play an important role in providing emer-gency support during periods of individual and col-lective economic diffi culty, it is important that we understand the pressures and impact of the reces-sion on Ontario’s food banks. Accordingly, we have prepared a report that focuses on our own services in the context of the economic downturn. This report will outline some of the key pressures facing food banks in Ontario, and the impact of these pressures on their fi nancial and food operations. Looking ahead, we have also examined some of the responses to the downturn and actions that can be taken to lessen the recession’s impact for Ontar-io’s families and food banks.

Current Pressures on Food Banks 1. Ontario’s unemployment rate continues to rise signifi cantly. Ontario has been hit very hard by the economic downturn. The province has lost 227,700 full-time jobs between August 2008 and August 2009. Since 2008, two-thirds of all Canadian job losses have occurred in Ontario. These unemployment trends are compounded by the challenge of very low coverage levels provid-ed by our national Employment Insurance (EI) pro-gram. Less than one third (30 per cent) of persons out of work in Ontario qualify for the program. In 1990, approximately two thirds of Ontarians who found themselves out of work qualifi ed for the pro-gram. Without adequate employment supports, the thousands of Ontarians who do not qualify will be forced to access relatively restrictive social as-sistance programs or fi nd other tenuous means of support from friends, family or charitable organi-zations. We have unwittingly and unwillingly become a charitable alternative to Employment In-surance. As a result, many more Ontarians have been forced to turn to food banks. Ninety three per cent

of food banks report an increase in the number of clients who have recently lost a job (in the past twelve months). Unfortunately, this unemployment trend is ex-pected to continue. The Organization for Econom-ic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reports that the unemployment rate in Canada will rise to ten (10) per cent in 2010. It is expected that unem-ployment will remain high for an extended period, as “Canada’s labour market typically takes a long time to recover from recessions.”

2. The price of food continues to rise. We are cur-rently in a defl ationary period in Ontario, where the overall trend for consumer items has actually decreased slightly since last year. However, the price of food continues to rise. According to Statis-tics Canada, the price of groceries has increased by four (4) per cent in the past year, compared to an overall decline in core infl ation of 0.8 per cent. The price of many items on the grocery lists of families across Ontario has increased by over 10 per cent since January 2008, including: milk, peanut butter, pasta, fl our, canned soup, baby food, and po-tatoes. As a result, the grocery bills for households


GRAPH: UNEMPLOYMENT IN ONTARIO, 1976 TO 2010 (PROJECTED)

1.0%

-0.5%

2.9%

0.8%

0.0%

2.7%

-5.3%

6.3%

7.0%

-2.7%

4.0%

9.4%

12.5%

3.1%

9.2%

9.3%

2.3%

5.5%

2.4%

5.0%

12.5%

-4.6%

9.5%

17.6%

-8.9%

12.5%

10.5%

19.1%

16.1%

3.1%

6.5%

8.2%

11.6%

13.1%

13.6%

14.7%

16.1%

18.7%

18.9%

19.9%

20.0%

20.7%

35.0%

37.2%

56.2%

-20% -10% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

WIENERS

CHICKEN

MILK

BREAD

PEANUT BUTTER

KETCHUP

BLADE ROAST

BAKED BEANS, CANNED

GROUND BEEF

CANNED SOUP

BABY FOOD

BANANAS

POTATOES

FLOUR

PASTA

SINCE JANUARY 2008TWELVE MONTH TRENDEIGHT MONTH TREND

PER CENT INCREASE IN RETAIL PRICE

GRAPH: CHANGE IN THE PRICE OF KEY FOOD ITEMS IN CANADA, JANUARY 2008 TO AUGUST 2009


have risen sharply. Since January 2008, the average weekly expenditure by a single person would have increased by $233.48 annually. This would equal six weeks worth of groceries. The average weekly expenditure for a typical family of three would have increased by $432.64 annually. This would equal over fi ve weeks worth of groceries.

3. Food bank use is on the rise. Ontario’s food banks are also under pressure due to an accelerat-ing rate of increase in food bank usage. From major cities like Toronto and London to regional centres

like Cornwall and Thunder Bay to rural centres like Ridgetown and Owen Sound, the number of Ontarians turning to food banks has continued to increase. In the fi rst half of this year, the number of Ontarians turning to food banks has increased by 20 per cent. This represents a signifi cant rate of in-crease compared to fall 2008, when the annual rate of increase was 13 per cent. Over 350,000 of our neighbours are turning to food banks every month in the province.

Food Bank Trends in the Midst of the Downturn Faced with many of the same pressures, food banks often refl ect the circumstances of the very families they serve. As our economy contracts, they struggle to feed families and put great effort into maintaining the amount of food that is provided every month. The same question is being asked around meeting tables of Ontario’s food banks as the question that is being asked around kitchen tables for hundreds of thousands of Ontarians: how can we provide enough food for our families? It is an almost impossible and unreasonable task. We can provide a window into how food banks are responding to these pressures by examining their food supply, food donations, fi nancial dona-tions, food purchases, and food distribution activi-ties in 2009.

FOOD SUPPLY There have been great challenges related to the food supply of Ontario’s food banks so far in 2009. Many simply do not have enough food to meet the surge in demand for service. A large proportion (37.9 per cent) of food banks do not have enough food to meet the needs of their clients. This is the highest recorded proportion of food banks report-ing a gap in supply since data collection began fi ve years ago. In many cases, the ability of food banks to meet the needs of clients has decreased. One in three food banks in Ontario have witnessed a de-crease in their ability to meet the needs of their cli-ents in the past year. These conditions are much more severe than any time in the past three years.

GRAPH: ABILITY OF ONTARIO’S FOOD BANKS TO MEET CLIENT NEEDS, 2007 TO 2009

IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM 9IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM

Reliance on local food bank to make ends meet continues to growSandy Singers, Kingston Whig-StandardSeptember 18, 2009

After all the great summer distractions we have been enjoying, it is unfortunately time to get back into more normal routines. Kids are back to school and the rest of us are focused again on the balance of what has been so far, a very challenging year. Since our annual food drive back in May the phones have been ringing off the hook and demand for our service has increased to almost 15% over last year at this time. That means we have put out 871 more hampers and have added 443 new client fi les to our service, representing 579 new adults and 224 new children. In spite of this massive increase we have shared 13,667 lbs. of food with most area hot-meat and shelter programs, including smaller food bank ser-vices. Although we are maintaining our supply of goods, donations have dropped off over the summer months which is normal, but we have been spend-ing more on purchased food ($5,000 over 2008) to keep up with demand.

Food bank shelves running bareEmily Mathieu, The Toronto StarSeptember 26, 2009

Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank is calling on the public to help put food on the tables of people in need. “This has been a long summer, our shelves are pretty bare,” said Gail Nyberg, executive director at the launch of their fall food drive yesterday. “The need remains.”

The Headlines: Local Food Banks Struggle in the Downturn

Food drive lagging in donationsFood drive lagging in donationsFood drive lagging in

Susan Gamble, The Brantford ExpositorOctober 2, 2009

The municipal food drive is drastically behind schedule in the weeklong push for curbside dona-tions as of Thursday. As of Thursday, municipal workers, who are picking up the food, have collected 2,751 pounds of contributions, said Heather Vanner, executive di-rector of the Community Resource Service, which operates the food bank. “At present, we’re down by 5,000 pounds of food over the past three days,” said Vanner in a news re-lease. “On average, we needed 2,600 pounds of food each day and we’re not meeting that. It will be a struggle to hit 13,000 pounds.”

Local food bank in crisisMaria Canton, Owen Sound Sun Times September 25, 2009

Demand at the local food bank spiked 68% last month, leading the head of the Salvation Army to declare the facility to be in crisis. “I would say we’re in crisis, we’re managing, but it’s defi nitely day to day,” Capt. Colin Bain of the Owen Sound Salvation Army said yesterday. “We were watching food banks elsewhere in the country hit crisis mode earlier in the year, in Febru-ary and March, but it’s only reached us now. When people start to get desperate, they start coming to us.” Bain attributes the dramatic rise for food to the recession and the fact that a lot of people’s employ-ment insurance claims are starting to run out with few or only part-time job prospects available. In August, about 520 people used the Owen Sound food bank compared with about 309 in Au-gust, 2008. July and August are typically the months the food bank registers its lowest user numbers.


FOOD DONATIONS Food banks have worked diligently to try to increase the volume of food donations in order to meet growing demand. Unfortunately, many food banks have witnessed a decline in both corporate food donations derived from manufacturers and individual food donations obtained through com-munity food drives. Thirty six per cent of Ontario’s food banks have seen a decrease in corporate food donations, and 28 per cent of Ontario’s food banks have seen a de-crease in individual food donations. At a provincial level, we have witnessed an overall decline in food donations due to the closure of over ten major food manufacturers in the past eighteen months. In total,

it is estimated that food donations have declined by one million pounds due to these closures. In effect, this represents the cascading effect of a closure for a food manufacturing facility in Ontario: hundreds of neighbours lose their jobs, and food banks lose a reliable and large source of food donations. Only one in three food banks have seen an in-crease in food donations; roughly the same propor-tion of food banks have experienced no change in corporate or individual food donations. If demand for food banks remained stable, this would be very positive story for food banks and families in Ontar-io. However, in the context of increased demand, a stable supply of food donations actually represents an overall decline in food supply.

GRAPHS: TRENDS IN FOOD DONATIONS AS REPORTED BY ONTARIO’S FOOD BANKS IN 2009

INCREASE IN DONATIONS

26%DECREASE IN

DONATIONS

36%SAME LEVEL OF

DONATIONS

38%

CORPORATE FOOD DONATIONS


30%

DECREASE IN DONATIONS

28%

SAME LEVEL OF DONATIONS

42%

INDIVIDUAL FOOD DONATIONS

FINANCIAL DONATIONS Beyond food donations, it is vital that food banks have the necessary funds to maintain their overall operations. Unfortunately, as with food donations, many food banks have struggled with declining fi nancial donations. Thirty one per cent of Ontario’s food banks have experienced a decline in individual and corporate food donations. One bright spot seems to be the response of individuals to the economic downturn. A large proportion of food banks report that individual donations have increased in 2009.

FOOD PURCHASES In response to increased demand, reduced sup-ply, and declining food donations, many food banks have increased their overall spending on food. Av-erage monthly expenditures on food by Ontario’s food banks have increased by 84.2 per cent. On average, Ontario’s food banks spend $2,669.99 per month or $32,039.88 per year on food purchases. Unfortunately, this has stretched their fi nancial ca-pacity beyond its limit. Fifty-four (54) per cent of food banks will be over budget on food purchases in 2009.



45%

31%


24%

MORE MONEY SPENT ON FOOD IN 2009 COMPARED

TO 2008

73%

SAME OR LESS MONEY SPENT ON

FOOD IN 2009 COMPARED TO 2008

21%

DO NOT PURCHASEFOOD

6%



30%


28%


42%



45%

31%


24%

GRAPH: TRENDS IN FINANCIAL DONATIONS AS REPORTED BY ONTARIO’S FOOD BANKS IN 2009


37%


31%


32%

CORPORATE FINANCIAL DONATIONS INDIVIDUAL FINANCIAL DONATIONS

MORE MONEY SPENT ON FOOD IN 2009 COMPARED

TO 2008

73%

SAME OR LESS MONEY SPENT ON

FOOD IN 2009 COMPARED TO 2008

21%

DO NOT PURCHASEFOOD

6%

GRAPH: FOOD PURCHASING PATTERNS BY FOOD BANKS IN ONTARIO, 2008 VS. 2009 (PERIOD: Q1 TO Q3 INCLUSIVE)


FOOD DISTRIBUTION Despite the tremendous pressures and declines in food donations, many of Ontario’s food banks have been able to increase or maintain the overall amount of food distributed through their facilities. Almost half of all food banks have been able to in-crease the volume of food distributed, and only 14.3 per cent of food banks have witnessed a decrease

in the volume of food distributed. However, given that there are more Ontarians than ever before turn-ing to food banks, they have needed to adapt their services by rationing food supplies. Since Janu-ary 2009, one in four (24.5 per cent) food banks in Ontario have reduced the average amount of food distributed in hampers to clients.

DECREASE IN VOLUME OF FOOD

DISTRIBUTED

14.3%

NO CHANGE IN VOLUME OF FOOD

DISTRIBUTED,

38.8%

INCREASE IN VOLUME OF FOOD

DISTRIBUTED,

46.9%

GRAPH: CHANGE IN VOLUME OF FOOD DISTRIBUTED BY ONTARIO’S FOOD BANKS IN 2009

Emerging Outcome: Some Food Banks Facing a Food Defi cit As outlined in the report, there is a growing def-icit in food supplies emerging in many food banks. This growing defi cit can be seen in a model of a sample food bank before and after the recession. The models presented in the associated graphs out-line food supply in terms of hampers and demand in terms of number of clients turning to the food bank for support. In essence, a fi ne balance has emerged over the past twenty years whereby there are small gaps in supply during certain months that are quickly fi lled by donations during typical giving periods. As demand rises and supply either declines or stabilizes, a food defi cit emerges whereby, on a consistent basis, the population of clients continue to outpace the typically available supply of food through hampers. As a result, more food must be purchased, and/or the size of food hampers must be reduced. In dire cases, some food banks may need to turn clients away due to lack of food supplies.

This defi cit is not limited to those food banks that have maintained or decreased the amount of food distributed. Even those organizations that have seen an increase in food volumes distributed may have seen an even greater need for service beyond that increase in supply. Please note that these are model graphs designed to illustrate an important trend of an emerging defi cit between supply and demand amongst many food banks in Ontario. The graphs are representa-tive models; the data is not taken directly from one food bank in the province.


GRAPH: TYPICAL FOOD DEMAND VERSUS FOOD SUPPLY OF A SAMPLE FOOD BANK BEFORE THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

MONTH

NUMBER

Population of Clients

Food Hamper Supply

GRAPH: FOOD DEMAND VERSUS FOOD SUPPLY OF A SAMPLE FOOD BANK IMPACTED BY THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

MONTH

NUMBER

Population of Clients

Food Hamper Supply


Although the recession has been very diffi cult for Ontario’s food banks, it has also resulted in the development of new partnerships that are both re-silient and sustainable. In the context of increasing demand and declining supply, we have been forced to be creative about the way we respond to hunger in Ontario. We have placed a great deal of emphasis on reaching out to the hard working women and men that produce the best food in the world in our own backyard. Ontario’s farmers have responded to our calls for support with tremendous generosity and good will. From farm donation programs and gleaning activities at a local and provincial level, we

Responding to the Downturn: Farmers & Food Banks Join Forces

have begun to work towards increasing the supply of fresh, local food that is distributed through On-tario’s food banks. For example, this summer, Nature Fresh Farms of Leamington in Southwestern Ontario announced the creation of a food donation program that will result in 500,000 lbs of fresh peppers donated an-nually. This program has been in effect for the past four months, providing fresh local produce to fami-lies across the province. We will need to continue to build and support these relationships over the coming year in order to meet the tremendous challenge of hunger in On-tario.

What Needs To Be Done? Now more than ever before, we must work dili-gently to achieve results that are in line with our core mission as food banks working for a hunger-free Ontario: to meet the immediate needs of those we serve, and to work towards actions that elimi-nate the need for our services. Therefore, we need to increase the overall sup-ply of food that is distributed through Ontario’s food banks to households across the province:

• This fall harvest season, we need our neigh-bours to give generously through food drives at their local grocery stores, schools, businesses, and places of worship.• The provincial government must create an Ontario Producer and Processor Donation Tax

Credit in order to provide an incentive for food donations by local farmers and processors.

In addition, we need to make investments in mea-sures to help Ontarians manage the impacts of the economic downturn:

• The provincial government must remove bar-riers to accessing social assistance by measures such as increasing restrictive asset limits and allowing Ontarians to collect OSAP and social assistance at the same time; and • The federal government must increase the accessibility and adequacy of EI benefi ts by decreasing eligibility requirements for Ontar-ians to be in line with other provinces and by increasing benefi t levels.

Conclusion There can be no doubt that Ontario’s food banks are struggling to respond to the collateral damage caused by the global economic downturn. The challenge of hunger was already staggering before we were hit by the Great Recession: hundreds of thousands of our neighbours were turning to food banks. We are now faced with an even greater challenge: tens of thousands more Ontarians are turning to us for support, and many food banks are faced with a decline in donations. But we are resilient, and we will weather the storm that hangs overhead. Our work is a refl ection of society’s collective will to provide an immediate response to circumstances that should not exist in Ontario. No one should go hungry in our province. We have already begun to form partnerships with Ontario’s agriculture community to build further

resilience and sustainability into our operations. We will continue this work with their support. In 2009 and beyond, we will ensure that every neighbour turning to us for support is provided with assistance. But we cannot do it alone. Nor should we expect to be the sole bastion of support during tough economic times. We need our neighbours to give generously this season, and for our provincial government to pro-vide incentives for local producers and processors to donate fresh, local foods so that we can increase our ability to meet Ontarians immediate needs. But this is not a substitute for good public policy. Both levels of government must make investments in measures to help Ontarians manage the impacts of the economic downturn. We must join together to work towards a hunger-free Ontario.


Sources1. Statistics Canada. The Daily. Latest release from the Labour Force Survey. September 4, 2009. 2. Government of Ontario. Section F: Need for a Strong Federal Partner to Support Ontario Workers and Industries. Ontario Budget 2008. Toronto: Ministry of Finance, March 2008, 68.3. Canadian Labour Congress. Falling Unemployment Insurance Protection for Canada’s Unemployed. March 2003, 43.4. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Employment Outlook 2009. Sep-tember 2009.5. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Employment Outlook 2009 – How Does Canada Compare? September 2009.6. Statistics Canada. The Daily. Latest release from the Consumer Price Index. September 17, 2009.7. Statistics Canada. Food and other selected items, average retail prices. August 2009.


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