Email - Daily Bread's January 2013 eNews

January 2013

Child poverty in Ontario deepening according to deprivation index

On December 13 the Ontario government released its fourth annual progress report on its Poverty Reduction Strategy. The report measures the progress made toward reducing child poverty in Ontario by 25 percent in 5 years.

The 2012 report shows that while progress was made for child poverty based solely on income-based measures, for 2009 and 2010 there was actually a slight increase in child poverty over the same period according to the Ontario Deprivation Index. That means that more children were in families that were experiencing a decrease in standard of living – not being able to afford things like fresh fruits and vegetables, or having to make difficult choices such as paying the rent or putting food on the table.

This may be because the costs of basic items, such as food and fuel, are increasing beyond the rate of inflation and income levels simply can’t keep up. An income-based measure would not take in to account that living costs are going up and that a dollar in 2012 buys less than it would have even a few years ago. Read more...

Volunteer of the Year Award

At this year’s annual volunteer Winter Bash, the Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Merle Slater, who has been volunteering for over a year onsite at Daily Bread in the New Toronto Street Food Bank. Daily Bread could not run without the dedication and hard work of thousands of volunteers.

Every year, staff is asked to nominate people for our Volunteer of the Year award, which is presented at our annual Winter Bash to celebrate everything volunteers do for Daily Bread and the community. Each year, it becomes harder and harder to choose just one person to win this award, when there are so many amazing volunteers.

Allison Townsley, who coordinates the onsite food bank and nominated Merle, says that Merle has committed herself to the clients of the New Toronto Street Food Bank in delivering “superior, empathetic service”.

“I also admire the way Merle courageously shares her personal experience with accessing the food bank to us and to the media”, said Allison. “Not many people want to share their story, let alone to a camera and a world of strangers. She gives us a glimpse into the life of someone struggling with food security, who at the same time beautifully masters communication, humility, bravery and grace and I’m so proud of her for winning this award.”

Ten other amazing volunteers, who did everything from painting walls to washing dishes, were nominated by staff for their dedication. To see the full list of nominated volunteers, click here.

Holiday Drive Surpasses Goal

Our generous donors and community partners showed their true community spirit this holiday season and helped us raise 2.1 million dollars and more than half a million pounds of food! Thank you to everyone who participated.

We hold food drives and raise funds year-round, but the final drive of the year is the one that keeps our doors open and our food hampers full during leaner times. With the tremendous support from people who work or live in Toronto or understand how difficult it can be to make ends meet in this city, we are off to a great start for 2013. Your support means that we are able to provide emergency food services for neighbourhood food banks and meal programs and continue to invest in our other programs to fight hunger: community information and referrals, job training, counselling, community gardening and community kitchens, research and public policy. Thank you!

Every month we distribute about one million pounds of food—and there is a need for more. The food you donate during our drives means that we buy less. And when we spend less on food, even more of our precious dollars—your donations—go directly to food delivery and our programs to help people get back on their feet. Stay tuned throughout 2013 to learn more about how your dollars are being put to work.

Daily Bread conducts an annual survey of people who rely on food banks and results are the basis for our annual Who’s Hungry report. But we can’t do it without your help!

We need volunteers to conduct surveys for two to three shifts at GTA food banks from February to mid-April. Hours and locations are flexible. Volunteers must be over 19 years old and fluent in English. To volunteer, contact Susie at susie@dailybread.ca.

Click here to learn more!

Congratulations to CP Holiday Train!

Since 1999, the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train has travelled across Canada and the US to increase awareness about hunger and to support local food banks, raising $7.4 million and 3 million pounds of food to date. That effort was recognized last month with the Prime Minister’s Volunteer Award—awarded to just 17 recipients.

On December 1, the festively lit Holiday Train stopped in Toronto with music and entertainment and raised more than $7,000 and 2,545 lbs of food for Daily Bread. See you next year!