We all know what it’s like to be hungry. What the majority of Canadians have never experienced is a state of perpetual hunger and not knowing from where your next meal will come. In reality this is a frequent occurrence in our society and we have learned over the years that no one, regardless of socio-economic status is immune.
At the Grocery Foundation we move to the New Year with a renewed determination to aggressively address the issues of child hunger in Canada. We reflect on our knowledge that hunger simply does not discriminate. If you consider that an unexpected loss of employment, accident or even a long term illness can result in Canadians having inadequate support than you can conclude that when confronted with such a catastrophic reality most have no knowledge of where to turn for sustenance for themselves and their families. Since 1979, The Grocery Foundation’s dedicated mission has been to reach out to those in need with a particular emphasis on the vulnerable children whose hunger places them particularly at risk.
The ultimate solution to this problem continues to be elusive for despite our resolve as we know that as 2015 arrives many of Canadians will continue to be without the means to feed their families. We also know that each month, 880,000 Canadians use the resources of supportive organizations including food banks . While such numbers might be shocking what is of much greater concern is that in excess of one third are hungry children. It is incumbent on Canadian society to continue to address the goal of having every child starting their day with a full tummy.
Together with our partners, The Grocery Foundation extends food and financial resources for the purpose of the addressing urgent and immediate need of feeding hungry children and teens. Over our 35 year history, the Grocery Foundation has worked with over 250 organizations to provide breakfast and snacks for those who are most vulnerable to hunger. In addition many of the people employed by corporate partners of the Grocery Foundation give their time working as volunteers within breakfast programs to help foster healthy attitudes and encourage Canada’s greatest resource, our children, to look forward to a brighter tomorrow.
We at the Grocery Foundation are proud of our contributions to the improvement of the lives of Canadian children. However, together with our partners we know that 2015 will present another year dealing with the substantial challenges of child hunger. We will reach out for support in the days ahead both within our industry and to our consumers for we know that this noble journey will require the dedicated commitment of many to succeed.
