Latest news with #KhalsaAid
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Summer food drive returns as food insecurity in Ottawa keeps growing
A charitable effort to keep kids fed throughout the summer break is back, as the Ottawa Food Bank warns of startling levels of food insecurity in the city. Donations to this year's summer food drive, an annual event launched by Khalsa Aid Canada in 2023, totalled nearly 41,000 kilograms. The food was raised through a combination of school donation initiatives, contributions from local businesses and a bulk donation from Khalsa Aid Canada. "We know that many families are struggling right now," Ottawa Food Bank CEO Rachael Wilson said at an event Saturday where the final tally was revealed. "Our donations tend to go down in the summer, so when we know that this food is coming in, it makes a huge difference for our ability to support those kids." Many children depend on their breakfast program throughout the school year, Wilson noted, but that help isn't available to them during the summer vacation. Thirty-seven per cent of all food bank visitors in Ottawa are children, she said. While that number has held steady for years, overall demand is on the rise. Food bank usage in the city is up by 90 per cent since 2019, and the number of Ottawa households that struggle to afford food nearly doubled between 2022 and 2023. "Any donations that we receive make a huge difference," Wilson said. The Ottawa Food Bank has campaigned publicly for Ottawa to declare food insecurity a crisis, saying the declaration would help unlock financial investment from higher orders of government. Toronto and Mississauga, Ont., have both done so. In January, Kingston did the same. Other eastern Ontario municipalities have followed their lead, including Hawkesbury and Smiths Falls. Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who attended the event Saturday, responded to a question about the city's lack of a formal declaration. "For me, it's not about a declaration or a statement — it's about action," he said in an interview. "We need to address the situation and we need to put our efforts behind it, and we'll work with the food bank and other partners in the community to do that." The Ottawa Food Bank is 98 per cent funded by the community, Wilson said. "We don't receive government funding, except for a little bit of city funding. And that just puts more pressure on everyone," she said. Thirty per cent of donations to the summer food drive are set aside for residents in Ottawa Community Housing (OCH), the city's largest social housing provider. "It's actually the number one thing that tenants are asking for our support with," said Traci Spour-Lafrance, executive director of the Ottawa Community Housing Foundation. "We are trying to ensure that they have food in their bellies, and that they can play and grow and enjoy their summer just like their friends." Although Spour-Lafrance is thrilled by the amount of food going to OCH residents, she said it isn't enough to meet demand. "This is one of the ways that we are trying to respond to that need," she said.
CBC
2 days ago
- General
- CBC
Summer food drive returns as food insecurity in Ottawa keeps growing
A charitable effort to keep kids fed throughout the summer break is back, as the Ottawa Food Bank warns of startling levels of food insecurity in the city. Donations to this year's summer food drive, an annual event launched by Khalsa Aid Canada in 2023, totalled nearly 41,000 kilograms. The food was raised through a combination of school donation initiatives, contributions from local businesses and a bulk donation from Khalsa Aid Canada. "We know that many families are struggling right now," Ottawa Food Bank CEO Rachael Wilson said at an event Saturday where the final tally was revealed. "Our donations tend to go down in the summer, so when we know that this food is coming in, it makes a huge difference for our ability to support those kids." Many children depend on their breakfast program throughout the school year, Wilson noted, but that help isn't available to them during the summer vacation. Thirty-seven per cent of all food bank visitors in Ottawa are children, she said. While that number has held steady for years, overall demand is on the rise. Food bank usage in the city is up by 90 per cent since 2019, and the number of Ottawa households that struggle to afford food nearly doubled between 2022 and 2023. "Any donations that we receive make a huge difference," Wilson said. Food emergency The Ottawa Food Bank has campaigned publicly for Ottawa to declare food insecurity a crisis, saying the declaration would help unlock financial investment from higher orders of government. Toronto and Mississauga, Ont., have both done so. In January, Kingston did the same. Other eastern Ontario municipalities have followed their lead, including Hawkesbury and Smiths Falls. Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who attended the event Saturday, responded to a question about the city's lack of a formal declaration. "For me, it's not about a declaration or a statement — it's about action," he said in an interview. "We need to address the situation and we need to put our efforts behind it, and we'll work with the food bank and other partners in the community to do that." The Ottawa Food Bank is 98 per cent funded by the community, Wilson said. "We don't receive government funding, except for a little bit of city funding. And that just puts more pressure on everyone," she said. Portion goes to OCH residents Thirty per cent of donations to the summer food drive are set aside for residents in Ottawa Community Housing (OCH), the city's largest social housing provider. "It's actually the number one thing that tenants are asking for our support with," said Traci Spour-Lafrance, executive director of the Ottawa Community Housing Foundation. "We are trying to ensure that they have food in their bellies, and that they can play and grow and enjoy their summer just like their friends." Although Spour-Lafrance is thrilled by the amount of food going to OCH residents, she said it isn't enough to meet demand. "This is one of the ways that we are trying to respond to that need," she said.
Winnipeg Free Press
10-05-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sikh charity's food drive brings in 11,000 pounds for Harvest Manitoba, Main Street Project
A Sikh non-profit handed out over 11,000 pounds of donated goods to food banks across Winnipeg Saturday in hopes of making a dent in the rising level of need. While Khalsa Aid is an international charity that provides disaster relief across the world, Manitoba's chapter focuses on feeding people in need, typically through bi-weekly meal programming for international students. Their food drives, which happen twice a year, go out to food banks through Harvest Manitoba and Main Street Project to feed the wider community. 'They always come and tell us how their donations have gone down too, so whatever we can donate, they really appreciate it,' Varinder Kaur Ghuman said Saturday. MALAK ABAS /FREE PRESS Khalsa Aid Manitoba volunteers Gurneet, 16, and Harjas, 15, stock baby formula, the most-requested item at Saturday's food drive. 'The need has never declined, it has always increased.' Thousands of pounds of food were stacked in the Khalsa Aid Manitoba building on Logan Street by Saturday afternoon, with dozens of volunteers sorting through rice, canned goods, lentils and other essentials. Ghuman said baby formula was the most-requested item. Every two weeks, Khalsa Aid Manitoba feeds between 100 to 250 international students, and have been holding food drives for ten years. Both initiatives speak to Sikh culture's focus on generosity and giving, Ghuman said. 'Being a Sikh organization, we have always been based on the Sikh principle of donating,' she said. 'So people really come out and donate for whatever way they can.' Harvest Manitoba did not have to purchase food to hand out until COVID-19 hit, and today, about 60 per cent of the food being provided is bought by Harvest. At the same time, as the cost of living rises, the number of people accessing food banks has gone up 150 per cent, said Ashley Routhier-Evans, their community events and food drives associate. '(Khalsa Aid) is one of our largest food drives that goes on. We have been so grateful for the support within the community over the years,' she said. 'It definitely helps get a lot of food sent out to Manitobans in need, as the need has never been greater.' Along with food programs, Khalsa Aid Manitoba is beginning a series of seminars helping newcomers to the province adjust to Canada — with topics ranging from cultural niceties to worker's rights and protections. Sudhir Sandhu, a volunteer who held the first seminar series several weeks last month, said the program is an attempt to fill the cultural gap that might have been filled in prior decades by immigrants who had more family supports in Canada, and teach students how to spot predatory working practices and even traffickers that target young newcomers. MALAK ABAS /FREE PRESS Volunteers at Khalsa Aid Manitoba's food drive Saturday post in front of piles of food donated by the Sikh community. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 'I really marvel at how a lot of kids that are 18, 19, young men, women, are packing up two suitcases and landing in Canada with absolutely no support,' he said. 'And Canada has not a good done a good job of providing support, both, particularly social, psychological support — they are adjusting to an entirely new environment that's universes apart from where they're coming from. So we find students struggle.' The sessions will be held again later this summer as new international students come to Manitoba. Anyone interested in donating to Khalsa Aid or learning more about programming should email Malak AbasReporter Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak. Every piece of reporting Malak produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
