It’s food drive season again and the London Food Bank’s annual spring event is taking on new meaning. But must we always maintain this debilitating distinction between the poor and ourselves?

It’s becoming clear that food — its production, value, cost, distribution, sustainability, and necessity for the poor — is about to become a major preoccupation for the next generation. How we organize around food as a community says something about who we are. The Conference Board of Canada reminds us that some 2.5 million Canadians are “food insecure.” Farmers and fishers are going out of business in significant numbers. Access to healthy food is a problem and the inevitable rise in the price of oil will see food costs continue to soar.

What London needs is a whole food policy. We are surrounded by some of the best farmland in the world but local citizens continue to opt for packaged and goods covered in pesticides flown in from the global market. It’s a recipe for dysfunction — a costly one — and requires some immediate attention.

Fortunately there are literally dozens of groups in the city and outlying areas seeking to put healthy food on our tables in a manner that draws the marginalized into the broader community. Teresa Rutten is one of the most outspoken community activists on the food file and she speaks with eloquence concerning what it will take to turn London food friendly. “Our status quo manner of acquiring food has destroyed our ability to source local, as well as the infrastructure required to support farmers who could produce the variety we used to see in Ontario,” she says with an ardour that’s compelling.

An increasing number of Londoners are taking the challenge seriously. Along with the London Food Bank’s Community Harvest program are dozens of groups with names like Plant-a-Row, Grow-a-Row, Glean on Me, Food, Not Lawns, Community Gardens, London Food Forest, and Garden Gates Open, to name only a few.

But Rutten and others like her are raising their collective sights higher. They are hoping and planning around a holistic food security initiative for London that creates a productive public/private mix that would be lucrative, healthy and include all citizens.

They comprehend that London, for all its agricultural surroundings, is late-to-the-game in building such initiatives compared with other regions around the world.

Some of the pieces for a more comprehensive plan are now in place. London now has its own food charter which has acquired approval by City Council. But now what to do with it? How to implement the next stage remains the big question.

This much we know. Food grown for transporting over long distances is genetically chosen for travel as opposed to nutrition. Farmers take care of 75% of the land in our region, but are forced to ship their food elsewhere. Food markets are becoming increasingly popular in London but have yet to receive the kind of public and governmental support required to “change the channel” towards a healthier and sustainable food supply. Food costs will only soar unless we learn to tap into our local abundance.

We can learn from places like Tadmorden, England, where citizens worked together with local government to turn their community and surrounding regions into a moveable feast. At no cost to the municipality, they succeeded in openly growing food on public lands in front of their police station, high school, boulevards, and country acres. All families can access such foodstuffs at any time and Tadmorden has become a top “food secure” area. Their motto is simple — “If You Eat, You’re In.”

London is much closer to this reality than we realize, but it will take public confidence and participation, along with private interest, to provide our city with an equitable food supply. The London Food Bank could use your help during this food drive, but above that we can all help one another to the healthier food of tomorrow that sustains all of us. The answer is literally on our doorstep and requires only the will and leadership to implement it.

Glen Pearson is co-director of the London Food Bank and a former Liberal MP for the riding of London North Centre.ac.nosraepnelgnull@nelg

Copied from: http://www.lfpress.com/2013/03/29/pearson-its-time-for-london-ontario-to-get-serious-about-becoming-food-friendly

Across Canada hundreds of food banks sent out special appeals over the Thanksgiving season asking people to donate generously. They had clear reason for doing so. Most food banks are facing record demand, as a deep recession that has supposedly ended still leaves its impact all over the country.

The London Food Bank, which I co-direct, has seen a 19 per cent increase over this time last year — the majority of that increased demand made up of people who only two years ago were working. Last August saw our highest monthly demand ever in our 25-year history and our highest daily record was only two weeks ago. While many still claim that food banks should remain a temporary solution to poverty, all the indicators seem to be heading in the wrong direction.

Just as we were learning of all these new pressures on the demand for food among the marginalized, news broke of the ironic reality that Canadians waste $27 billion worth of food each year — $27 billion. The draft report on this kind of wastage, by the Value Change Management Centre mentions that 51 per cent of that total finishes up as unwanted leftovers that end up in the garbage. The breakdown of the report, which you can read here, states that 18 per cent of the food wasted is due to packaging and processing. Retail stores waste 11 per cent, while a figure just below that (9 per cent) is lost during the farming stage. Even the food industry itself wastes 8 per cent.

If we broaden the issue out to include the United States, things don’t look any better. The U.S. Natural Resources Defence Council says that almost 40 per cent of food in America goes in the garbage each year — a figure proportionally equal to Canada.

It appears as though North Americans waste food on a grand scale. The average American wastes 10 times more food than a Southeast Asian. Like their Canadian counterparts, American families throw out 25 per cent of their groceries. And then there are those restaurants and catering services, which together discarded 126-billion pounds of food in 2008 alone. Grocery stores threw out 43 billion pounds of food in the U.S. — mostly fresh foods.

Twenty years ago we heard that over 20 per cent of food in Canada was tossed before it ever left the package. Have we learned anything? Furthermore, there used to be a widely held belief that we shouldn’t be wasting food because millions were dying of hunger in places like Africa. Now it’s worse than it ever was.

What exactly are we doing? With the price of food constantly rising, and with millions more being globally added to the destitute poor each year, how can we reconcile our conduct with such developments? We can’t. It’s one thing to say we shouldn’t need food banks, that they should be a temporary presence in our communities, but what does it matter if we are throwing out more food than is distributed by those food banks collectively each year?

It was Mahatma Gandhi who used to say, “There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” How do we square this in a nation where we toss out $27 billion worth of food in the midst of hunger? We do have much to be thankful for as a country, yet no population can be truly grateful when throwing out food while children suffer in poverty. A huge gap exists between all those polls that say the majority questioned desire to end hunger and so much waste. It is a credibility problem — for food companies, for citizens, and ultimately for us as a nation.

If it is true that the real cause of hunger is the powerlessness of the marginalized to gain access to the resources required to feed themselves, then the proper answer to that dilemma is not to send them to the dumps where we have just displaced our leftovers. Canada once used to feed the world with our surplus, now we can’t even feed our own with it.

–Glen Pearson

As printed by the Huffington Post 9 OCT 2012

Grocery shopping

We all go shopping for groceries. We all look at the flyers to find out what is on special, make a list of those specials and the other items we need for the week and head off to the grocery store.

Wednesday was shopping day for me. No looking at flyers, as I was just restocking some essentials.

What I saw and heard today is what is important. What I saw and heard tugged at my heart.

A couple was walking down an aisle, comparing items to the coupons they had collected. I heard them discuss each item they picked up, asking first if they had a coupon and then if they really needed that food item right now.

True, we all make those decisions when grocery shopping. What most of us, who have enough income to get by on, don’t do is put those main food items back on the shelf. Yes, we buy bread on sale, but we buy wholesome loaves of bread, not bread that is mostly air pockets.

The incident that bothered me most was the young man with his son. He was dressed in mechanic’s overalls and his 4 year old son was asking his father if they could have a can of tuna with the bread the father was holding. I heard the father say to his son that they could not afford tuna this time. He said they could only afford some Mr. Noodles, the bread and the three apples. I could see the disappointment in the son’s eyes. That was bad enough. What was worse was seeing the pain in the father’s eyes.

I so much wanted to offer to buy the tuna for them, but did not. My heart was aching. When I finished my shopping, I saw the father and son in the checkout line. There were no

apples. The son, though, was clutching a can of tuna.

I would have done whatever I could to feed my children, back when I was raising my children. What we sometimes forget is how much it hurt to make decisions about feeding our children when we didn’t have a lot of money.

What I saw today reminded me of that.

What I saw today made me remember that the poorer people in our society have to make really difficult decisions when it comes to feeding their families. In Canada, let alone London, it should not be that way.

ML

Volunteer

Recently, we had a mother and her child come into the Food Bank, and this child, happy and boisterous, was asking his mother where he was.  “Mommy, is this a school, are we at school?”

“No” his mother replied.  I suspect that she was hoping that this was the end of the discussion.

The child, however persisted, “Mommy, where are we?”

She finally responded, “We are at the Food Bank.”

“Mommy, what’s a Food Bank?”

When I heard that question, my heart stopped for a moment.  When my child asks me what a Food Bank is, my answer is, “It’s Mommy’s work, we help people.”   For this mother, the answer was very different.  She had to explain to her child that it was a place where she got food.

“Like the grocery store, Mommy?”

“Well, sort of” was her answer.  It was at this point that they were out of my range of hearing.  I wasn’t sure what I would have said next in her position.  Perhaps she directed his attention to something else; perhaps food banks aren’t that interesting to young children.  As mothers, we try hard to shield our children from the difficult things in life; we don’t want them to know how much we struggle as adults in the world.  My heart went out to this woman, as she did what she had to do to feed her children, while having to explain it to her inquisitive child.

Sometimes when I’m talking to people about the Food Bank, we discuss who the people are who use our service.  I’ll often ask groups (especially children’s groups) if they think they’ll ever have to use a Food Bank.  Overwhelmingly, people believe that they’ll never have to use a Food Bank.  No child in our country grows up believing that he’ll have to use a Food Bank.  I’m sure that the many mothers and fathers, who come in to get food to feed their children, were not planning on having to use a Food Bank.

We tend to think about people who use the Food Bank as ‘needy’, but I think that there are many other ways that we should describe them – specifically Courageous.  It takes courage to fly in the face of social norms and admit that you need help; it takes courage to walk in the door of the Food Bank.  Sometimes, it takes courage to feed your family.

With the commercial hype surrounding Mothers’ Day, I think we are at a loss of how to truly show our mothers our appreciation.  The media will tell us that unless we can spend lots of money on our mothers that we are not celebrating them.  I think this year, for me, that Mothers’ Day is going to be much more than that; it will be celebrating the struggles that all mothers in our world must face to keep their children safe, healthy and happy.  For some, those struggles will include things like walking a mile or more for water; for others, that may include placing themselves in harm’s way; for still others, that may include having to use a Food Bank.  Yes, we should celebrate the courage of the women in our world who do what they do to protect their children.

That mother, who came into the Food Bank, needs to be celebrated for showing the courage to feed her children, and not be stigmatized by the community in which she lives.  Each of the 3300 families that we see each month needs to know that they are being courageous by coming to get food to feed their children.

Mary Ann McDowell

Operations Coordinator

In February 2012 Harrison Pensa, a London law firm launched a new website and Facebook page. As part of their campaign to bring attention to their new online presence they decided that for each “like” their Facebook page received during the month they would donate 1 pound of food to the London Food Bank. At the end of February their Facebook page had received 890 “likes” which though the further generosity of Bob Rundle at Rundles No Frills was translated into 3536 pounds of food.

Bread

It all started with a blog post I was reading; the post was about how the divine exists in us through bread.  This post was supposed to be uplifting and inspiring, but instead, it sent me into a bit of a tailspin; I see people every day who don’t even have bread.  It’s why they come to the Food Bank.  It got me to thinking about the disparity in our society, and I started to despair, just a little.  I was asking myself why; why does this unfairness exist?  Here in London, we have been facing a great deal of unfairness with the Electro-Motive situation – our co-director, Glen Pearson, has been blogging about this.  I couldn’t answer that question.

Then there is the realization of our numbers increasing.  January saw a record number of families helped – 3660, and the numbers just seem to continue climbing.  So, then I was asking myself: How are we going to continue to feed these people?  And, I thought I couldn’t answer that question either.

Then, at the end of the day, I was sitting in my office, and just outside the door, two men were repacking their food into reusable bags.  They were chatting with one another, and the first man remarked how he was, unfortunately, new to needing the Food Bank.  To which the other replied that he had needed the Food Bank somewhat regularly over the years.  Then he said the following words:  “I eat because of the Food Bank.”  At that moment, I was aware that I had been asking myself the wrong question.  The question was not “Why is there disparity”, the question should have been “What am I doing to change my little corner of the earth”.  And, as it turns out, with the help of many, many Londoners, we are able to help families in our community who have difficulty putting food on their tables.

The answer to how we are going to continue to feed these people is both simple and complex.  We, in the city of London are an extremely generous community; Londoners recognize that their neighbours are in need.  Londoners have, for 25 years, helped the London Food Bank feed those neighbours.  It is that simple, and at the same time incredibly complex.  Londoners will take care of each other!

It is these same Londoners that bring the divine into the bread for me.  These people who share what they have so that others may be fed have given me back my faith, both in humanity, and in the divine.

Mary Ann McDowell

Operations Coordinator

The Biggest Team in London

January 2012 was the busiest month ever at the Food Bank, providing food packages to more than 3,600 families during the month.

February continues to be just as busy, with almost 1,000 families coming to us for food during the previous week.

The ability to provide that many hampers to that many families requires a huge effort. The 5 staff in the Food Bank cannot do that by themselves. The donations have to be picked up from grocery stores throughout London. Those donations are unloaded from the vehicles and are sorted into 20 plus categories. Once sorted, the food is boxed according to category and moved into our working supply. The food packages are assembled from those categories, by filling a bag or box with items on a shopping list. Each family size receives different amounts of the various categories.

All of that takes place in our warehouse area. The work continues in the client service area.

The clients are received by our reception person and then directed to an interview room to record their visit for the month. The food packages are brought out from our storage area and given to the clients after the family information has been verified and recorded.

To pick up the donations, sort the donations, box the donations, move the donations, distribute the donations into the various sizes of food packages, bring the food packages to the clients, receive and direct the clients to the interview room, and record the client information requires a huge amount of work. All of that cannot be accomplished by just 5 staff when so many are coming to us for assistance.

The staff must work as a team everyday, adapting to different tasks many times during the day. Each staff member has to be able to jump into 5 or more different roles at various times throughout the day, and do so at a moment’s notice. Well, most of the paid staff do so. On top of that, with so many different individuals and groups coming one time to volunteer, the staff have to train and supervise those volunteers.

From the retirees to the school classes to the organizations to the individuals who donate their time, both in the warehouse area and in the client service area, our ability to provide those emergency food packages is accomplished. About 80 individuals donate their time once or twice a week, every week throughout the year to provide continuity of service in each of the main tasks. From Hugh and Jim and Walter, the retired teachers, to Ed the Financial Planner, to Kevin the business owner, to Al the retired electrician, to Hillary the aspiring personal trainer, to so many others, our regular volunteers come from many different backgrounds and income levels. That so many have stepped up to help their fellow citizens in their time of need is both amazing and wonderful.

The staff work alongside the volunteers to provide food packages. From driving vehicles, to unloading vehicles, to sorting food, to packing and putting away boxes, to making food packages, to receiving and registering clients, the staff have to be versatile and work hard every day. Without the 200 or more individuals who donate their time and effort alongside the staff every week, and up to 800 different volunteers each month, those families in need would not be fed.

And, all of this is overseen by a Board of Directors, who are all volunteers themselves.

All of the staff and all of those hundreds of volunteers together comprise a big team, every day and every month, in order to make the Food Bank operate so that Londoners in need can receive some food assistance.

To have up to 800 individuals on a team, and to have so many new groups or individuals volunteer each month, expands that team size into the thousands over a full year. That hundreds and thousands of Londoners come together to help fellow Londoners is incredible.

That is one big team.

Thinking about the size of that team, though, we need to realize that it is even bigger than the numbers mentioned above.

From the firefighters who accept food donations at the fire stations on our behalf,  to the employees of companies who run food drives, to the schools who run food drives,  to the individuals who donate food at our donation boxes in many London grocery stores, to the citizens and companies in London who donate the money that keeps us operating, there are many more thousands of Londoners who make the London Food Bank possible.

Which, when you think about it, turns tens of thousands of Londoners into a team.

THAT is one big team.

Which means that the biggest team is not in London. It means the biggest team IS London.

Thanks, team. You are amazing.

Douglas Plumley

Finance & Technology Coordinator

What a Christmas! The month of December witnessed Londoners – individuals, groups, businesses – respond in record numbers to the news released earlier in the month that the food bank had reached 3500 families helped each month. The outpouring lifted the spirit of our volunteers and staff and we thank all those who took the spirit of Christmas to a whole new level.

But as those days recede into recent memory there is the growing realization our numbers will now continue to expand as the economy remains sluggish. Furthermore, conditions like those swirling around the possible job loss at Electro Motive and the shutting down of Ford Talbotville mean that food bank services are going to be required more than ever – even by people who were working only a year ago.

And so we must prepare for a difficult number of months ahead. Fortunately our volunteer component continues to climb and the mood among all those seeking to assist at the food bank itself is one of resolve – to be there for struggling families regardless of how much extra effort is required.

It’s perhaps important for Londoners to know that the food bank is pivotally involved in activities outside of the building itself. Our Operations Coordinator, Mary Ann McDowell sits on a special committee of the Child and Youth Network attempting to assess the immediate needs faced by people struggling on the margins. Co-director Jane Roy continues to network with community associations in an effort to coordinate an effective response to the challenges that clearly lie ahead. I was asked by the City of London to establish a Citizen’s Panel that would seek to gather public input for the special Social Assistance Review (SARC) – the first major study of social assistance in Ontario in the past two decades. That work will continue until March, when the panel will also make presentations at City Hall and for the provincial budget.

This is your food bank – pressured, adapting, involved. But ultimately it’s about a London public that took the present challenges faced and turned it into an opportunity to show community compassion in record numbers. Thank you – every single one of you – for the kindness you have shown. Now we need to take that spirit and apply our energies towards finding better solutions to poverty.

Glen Pearson

Co-Director

The generosity of Londoners is abundant during the Christmas season. About one-half of our financial donations each year comes in over that period of time, as local citizens, companies, institutions and groups take the time to think beyond themselves and to help those whose holiday season will prove a challenging time. Some thoughts by co-director Glen Pearson.

Starting with the Santa Claus Parade and continuing right though until the first week of the New Year, the outpouring of good will from Londoners simply blows away anyone who visits the food bank during that time.

During and given time over the holiday season, some 400 food drives are held by companies, churches, citizen groups, service clubs, schools, mosques, veteran’s groups, etc. The food bank usually only hears of these many good efforts as the food is brought in. The London Food Bank itself doesn’t hold any official drives over the holiday season – what comes in during that time is due to the compassionate work and organization of a remarkable community.

Don’t forget that one of the reasons people donate to the London Food Bank during this important season is because we share roughly half of the food donated with over 20 other social agencies in the city. We consider groups like Mission Services, various shelters, feeding programs and other groups as important contributors to the quality of life in our community and are deserving of our support. This food is provided gratis because we believe that is what citizens would have us do. London’s bounty is for all those struggling to make ends meet.

The London Food Bank is now celebrating its 25th Christmas season in our community and we want to celebrate it with you. You have supplied our organization so faithfully over the duration that each holiday season we are humbled by your generosity and your commitment to the marginalized in our region. To each and every one of you, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and the most meaningful of holiday seasons. Your generosity has put the giving back into Christmas and we are the better for it.