Latest news with #foodinsecurity
Zawya
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Zawya
Congolese rapper and influencer joins World Food Programme (WFP) Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo family as champion for nutrition
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announces its partnership with rising Congolese music star Sista Becky (Rebecca Kalonji) as a High-Level Supporter, advocating for nutrition and healthy eating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). With 28 million people facing severe hunger and 4.75 million children suffering from acute malnutrition in the country, Sista Becky's influence and support will be instrumental in inspiring young people to take action against food insecurity and participate in community development. 'Through my voice and my work, I want to challenge young people to not only raise their voices but also to take action on the issues that directly impact their future, including access to nutritious food and better opportunities for women and girls,' said Sista Becky. Sista Becky is gaining increasing recognition in the global music scene, with her socially conscious lyrics. Her debut single 'Mr Rap' launched her career in 2016, while her album 'Apéritif' (2021) established her as a leading artist in Congolese music. She has recently released a new single, 'Kimpa vita', adding to her growing reputation as a voice for social change in the DRC. As a High-Level Supporter, Sista Becky joins Innoss'B and Distel Zola in playing a key role in furthering WFP's mission to do more on school feeding, support healthy foods and prevent malnutrition across the country. 'We are thrilled to have Sista Becky join us in our mission to combat hunger and promote nutrition in DRC,' said Elvira Pruscini, WFP's Representative and Country Director a.i. in DRC. 'Her influence and dedication to social issues align perfectly with WFP's objectives, and we look forward to the impact we can achieve together.' Sista Becky joins WFP at a critical time as the organization continues to face a severe funding shortfalls. WFP needs US$433 million over the next six months to meet the growing humanitarian needs in the DRC. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Food Programme (WFP).
CBC
7 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
Northeastern Ontario food banks, health units call for government action to address rising food insecurity
Rates of food insecurity continue to rise in communities across Ontario, including in northeastern Ontario, according to a number of organizations and agencies in the region. Health units, social services agencies and food banks say food insecurity is directly tied to low income and they are calling on the Ontario government to address the issue and set targets to reduce it. In a new report, Algoma Public Health said 17.6 per cent of local households were food insecure between 2021 and 2023 and it found social assistance rates and minimum wage are not enough to cover costs of living. The report highlighted that households receiving social assistance such as Ontario Works (OW) or the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) struggle more with food insecurity, according to Lisa O'Brien, a health promotion specialist with Algoma Public Health. "They're spending a lot. A very high percentage of their income would go to food as well as things like rent, leaving very, very little, if any money left over for other basic necessities," said O'Brien. O'Brien added those receiving social assistance spend between 41 per cent to 80 per cent of their total monthly income on rent alone. At its board meeting on May 28, Algoma Public Health passed a resolution based on the latest report, and is asking the recently re-elected Progressive Conservative government under Doug Ford to recognize and acknowledge food insecurity as an income-based problem that requires income-based solutions. O'Brien said evidence shows that income-based policies and programs, such as adequate social assistance rates, living wages, basic income, and affordable housing are effective solutions to reduce food insecurity. "We really need to focus on the upstream approaches like income based solutions that really prevent people from falling into the water in the first place," said O'Brien. The resolution is being welcomed by local food banks, who said they are seeing an increasing number of people accessing their services, particularly by those on social assistance. "To this point this year, 40 per cent of our clients have been on ODSP and another 28 per cent rely on OW," said Sara McCleary, marketing manager at St. Vincent Place food bank in Sault Ste. Marie. "So that's a pretty good indicator that those rates are not high enough that those people, those families who are relying on social assistance, they're not getting enough to live off of." McCleary said client numbers are going up quickly, with more than 400 people accessing the food bank in the month of May. She added they have not had such a high number in a long time. It's a similar situation being seen by Harvest Algoma. The food rescue organization supplies food banks in the Algoma region, and director David Thompson says he isn't surprised the numbers are going up. "Even after moving about 140,000 pounds of food by this May, that's 50 per cent more than where we were last year, every agency food bank that I speak to still reports record demand and it tells us the real shortage isn't food, it's income," said Thompson. Thompson says government policies aren't doing enough to address the causes of food insecurity, including not raising social assistance or implementing a basic income. Algoma Public Health is not the only health unit asking for measures to be taken to address food insecurity. In 2024, Public Health Sudbury and Districts also asked the provincial government to have a look at the adequacy of social assistance rates when looking at food affordability. The health unit says one in six households in the district are food insecure. Executive director of the Sudbury Food Bank, Dan Xilon, said they receive about 17,000 calls for service each month, with many of the calls from new clients who have never accessed a food bank before. "It's individuals with food insecurity across all areas of the community," said Xilon. "I think that basic income amount has to be looked at across Canada. And I think that would go a long way to alleviating our numbers."
CBC
20 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
N.W.T. gov't rejects call to declare state of emergency in Norman Wells
The Government of the Northwest Territories says that rising costs in Norman Wells do not meet the territory's definition of an emergency, and that declaring a state of emergency in the Sahtu community wouldn't help residents much anyway. The territorial government was responding to a motion MLAs passed in February, calling for a territorial state of emergency to be declared for humanitarian reasons, and to communicate that to the federal government. Sahtu MLA Danny McNeely brought that motion forward, saying that rising food insecurity and heating costs, along with increasingly unreliable infrastructure for resupply, are making life and business in Norman Wells extremely difficult. Town councillors in Norman Wells had also declared a local state of emergency months earlier. In a written response to the motion last week, first reported by Cabin Radio, the government says that declaring a state of emergency is warranted when special regulations are required to protect people's safety, health or welfare, or to limit damage to property or the environment. It says that while critical, the situation facing Norman Wells residents doesn't meet the criteria for emergency. It also says that declaring a state of emergency wouldn't create access to additional federal or territorial funding. The rising costs in Norman Wells are related to a failed summer resupply in recent years due to low water levels. The territory said in its response that that is part of a "larger climatic trend," and that the government is responding with both immediate relief and long-term planning for future such events. In the short term, the territory points to its subsidy on fuel in Norman Wells, a $150,000 donation to the Norman Wells food bank and a $1.8-million emergency fund for businesses, Indigenous and community governments in the Sahtu and Beaufort Delta to offset transportation costs. The response also mentions the territory's efforts to ensure a successful winter resupply, including widening the winter road. It also mentions a $500,000 federal project that will bring wood stoves to the Sahtu to lower reliance on heating fuel. The territory said that it's continuing to advocate for federal funding to support N.W.T. communities, including continuing work on the Mackenzie Valley Highway to build a more resilient supply chain by connecting Wrigley to Norman Wells with an all-season road.
Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
FarmboxRx Partners With Health Care Plans To Integrate Nutritious Food, Prevent Chronic Disease
Fourteen years ago, Ashley Tyrner Dolce found herself a single mother dependent on food stamps to feed herself and her six-year-old daughter. Dolce parlayed that personal challenge into a plan to help solve a more global problem: She founded FarmboxRx in 2014 to help ameliorate food insecurity, which directly affects about 20 million people in the US, while at the same time improving the health of vulnerable communities she was once a part of. 'Healthy foods should be accessible to all,' Dolce proclaims. Yet nearly 50 million US people experience either food insecurity and/or a lack of access to an affordable, nutritious diet. 'This makes food the center of one of the largest public health crises in our country,' says Dolce. 'I would characterize the food situation in the US as disastrous. Diet-related chronic disease in this country is … a big problem. And it's a problem that the Department of Health and Human Services [HHS] Dolce says that our treatment of chronic conditions related to the long-implicated Standard American Diet – in fact, our treatment of health care in this country in general – 'has been very reactive rather than proactive.' Today, the country's 'really at a crossroads,' she says, 'where we have to begin thinking through the proactive lens. Yeah, because we just cannot sustain.' About 133 million US people, or nearly half the population, suffer from at least one chronic health condition. This number is projected to reach 170 million by 2030. That is simply not acceptable to such like Dolce. Thus, her quest to make 'health and prevention' primary, trumping mere 'treatment of disease.' For example, there's no excuse for the fact that we can accurately predict US health outcomes just by zip code, says Dolce. FarmboxRx set out to address those regional and other social determinants of health [SDOH], especially when it comes to food access and education. Because there's a long-studied, well-documented, critical link between nutrition and health, and because we have proven that we can largely prevent chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and even some types of cancer, through a better diet and other lifestyle choices largely in our control. So, FarmboxRx delivers wholesome foods that meet the demands of the millions of US people living in food deserts, those who lack easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables, some of us take for granted. Critically, FarmboxRx became in 2021 the first and only national online grocery delivery service approved for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP] / EBT nationwide, those aforementioned 'food stamps' on which Dolce's family once relied. The program serves millions of underserved people through the USDA. The company has partnered with nearly 100 health plans across the country, which then tailor life- and cost-saving benefits to their members, customized and personalized for each plan's nutrition and health literacy objectives: Members receive through a refrigerated FedEx box a regular delivery of culturally, linguistically, and medically appropriate offerings without having to travel or spend excessively. The idea is to build lasting healthy eating habits, says Dolce. Such a health care plan 'integration' of good eating habits is a central pillar in the FarmboxRx mission: With nearly 70 percent of all Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries citing food insecurity as their primary social concern, FarmboxRx delivers a sustainable solution that improves health outcomes through refined eating habits. The idea has led to more integration of nutrition into overall patient care plans. Dolce pioneered the movement and lobbied for better food policies to help make nutrition a covered health intervention. She was one of the earliest proponents of the 'food-as-medicine' movement. 'We're a mission-driven 'food-as-medicine company' that provides fresh produce and healthy groceries to people in need, particularly through Medicare and Medicaid programs,' says Ashley Tyrner Dolce, CEO and founder of FarmboxRx. 'In my mind, you know, if you have a chronic diet-related disease, the natural path should be when you're at your provider's office that you are given a prescription for food, you're given a prescription for a dietitian to teach you how to eat for your chronic condition,' says Dolce. 'And that should be your path forward, rather than a doctor just giving you insulin, giving statins. Right? So, we haven't stepped back in this country and taken the deep dive of how do we address these diet-related diseases that can completely be reversed, by the way, through proper accessibility to healthy food, education on how to eat for your condition, and then affordability.' 'Everyone wants to be healthy,' says Dolce. 'They just can't afford it. They don't have accessibility, and they don't have the education to go with it. If you solve those three things, people will take the self-efficacy journey.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Resources for Summer Food Insecurity
Waco, TX (FOX 44) – Many children in Central Texas don't know where their next meal is coming from without the help of school meals, but there are resources available near you. The Shepherd's Heart Pantry is serving families who are food insecure with its 19 locations across Central Texas. Executive Director Robert Gager says summer months are the hardest for food insecure children. 'There's a lot of people that we see coming to our food distributions or mobile food distributions that may be from middle income families that have three or four kids, and they've got two car payments, a house payment and all the other bills that go with four kids. And they're hurting. They're hurting, so I know that the need is out there for the summer' The Shepherd's Heart Pantry is partnering with the Central Texas Food Bank to serve even more children this summer than last year. With the food banks help, the pantry estimates serving up to 3,000 children per week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
