Each month, over 350,000 people in Ontario use food banks and 20% of food banks run out of food. These individuals are educated, hard working people of all ages who, despite their struggles, face assumptions every day which do nothing but add undue stress to their already stressful lives. I, with your help, hope to reduce that stress. This petition aims to introduce legislation that will force grocery stores in Ontario to donate edible food, that would otherwise be thrown out, in an effort to reduce food waste in Ontario and, more importantly, help feed those in need. I have written a letter to my MPP, Sophie Kiwala, and encourage you all to read what I've written and attach your name to the message. If you want to do even more, write your own MPP and tell them what you think. If you don't know who your MPP is, you can find out here http://www.canadaspeaks.ca/resources/find-your-mpp/ Postage is not required when writing to your government. By signing this petition, you will be saying that you believe no one in Ontario should go hungry and that the amount of food waste produced in this province is unacceptable and that something needs to be done about it. Some facts you might not know. About food bank users in Ontario: 36.7% receive social support 31.5% receive disability support 34% are under the age of 18 49.2% live alone 90% live in rental or social housing 1.4% live in shelters or on the street Typical income for this group is less than $1,100/month 70% of this income is spent on housing alone leaving less than $330 for food, clothing and other expenses Approximately 45% of food bank users in the GTA go hungry once a week or more About food banks: There are over 1,524 food banks in Ontario Qualifications must be met before allowing access to food and these vary from bank to bank Many only allow an individual access to food once per month, sometimes two months The amount of food given in a visit will last less than one week 20% of food banks run out of food each month About Ontario residents: The average amount a household spends on food each month is $650 We create approximately 4 million tonnes of organic waste annually. This is mostly food We waste $12 billion in food annually. Canada wastes $31 billion total About the costs: For an individual, social assistance grants a maximum of $7,872/year For an individual, disability support grants a maximum of $13, 176/year The poverty line is currently $19,774/year Food prices have gone up 1.2% in the past year Fresh fruit has gone up 6.7% Fresh vegetables have gone up 6.4% Fresh and frozen meats have gone up 10.7% 1/3 jobs in Ontario are temporary, contract or part-time

Sophie Kiwala MPP

Kingston and the Islands

2-303 Bagot Street

Kingston, Ontario

K7K 5W7

Re: Ontario Food Banks

Dear Mrs. Kiwala;

I am writing you this letter to express my concern about the limited resources the food banks in Ontario have and how this is affecting those who use them. Seeing food donations accepted in most grocery stores and food drives being held in schools and businesses across the province, I once thought that food banks were overflowing and all it took was a visit to get what you needed, but I have come to learn that this is far from the truth. Food banks aren’t easily accessible and at least 20% of food banks in Ontario run out of food each month. The bottom line is that food banks don’t have enough and something needs to be done so I’m asking for your help.

First I would like to tell you about the people who use food banks since they face many assumptions from society and to appropriately advocate for them, these assumptions need to be dispelled. The vast majority of food bank users in Ontario have post-secondary educations, work hard for what they have and come from all walks of life. 36.7% of these people receive social assistance, 31.5% receive disability support and 34% are under the age of 18. While many people believe that it is primarily the homeless who use food banks, in actual fact over 90% live in rental or social housing and most of the remaining 10% are home-owners. As for the number of people who use food banks in Ontario, a reported 358,963 people accessed Ontario food banks in March of 2015. This is 2.8% of Ontario’s population, compared to the 2.4% who use food banks Canada wide.

But why do they need food banks if they’re educated, have homes and receive support from other avenues? There are a number of factors to take into account, not the least of which is income. The majority of Ontario food bank users have an income of less than $1,100 each month and spend 70% of this on housing alone. For a single person household (which accounts for 49.2% of food bank users), Ontario Works offers a maximum income of $7,872 per year and the Ontario Disability Support Program offers up to $13,176 per year compared to the $19,774 poverty line. While employment rates have increased somewhat in recent times, 1/3 jobs in Ontario are temporary, contract or part-time, contributing to the insufficient income and while income is low, food prices have increased 1.2% over the past year. The most significant increases have been in fresh fruit (up 6.7%), fresh vegetables (up 6.4%) and fresh and frozen meats (up 10.7%). Unfortunately the troubles faced don’t stop here. In order to access food banks, criteria need to be met regarding income amount and sources, family size and more and these can vary from bank to bank. Even when these criteria are met, most food banks only allow access once per month or even two months, and only give enough food to last a week at best. Finally, there is no guarantee that food will be available once they arrive. In the GTA alone an estimated 45% of food bank users go hungry once a week or more.

The average Ontarian is far more privileged and unfortunately takes for granted the abundance of food available to them. For example, the average Ontario household spends $650 on food each month compared to the $330 left after a food bank user’s housing costs, which is needed to cover many other expenses as well. Ontarians altogether produce approximately 4 million tonnes of organic waste each year, most of which is food, and contribute $12 billion worth of food waste annually compared to the $31 billion wasted Canada wide. As a province, we contribute 38.7% of the country’s food waste while our population makes up 36.5% of the country as a whole. A fact I was even more shocked to learn is that many grocery stores soak their still edible food waste in bleach in order to deter rodents and bugs which in turn causes dangerous illness and injury to those who are desperate enough to search dumpsters for their next meal.

So what can we do about it? I propose action that is simple but far from easy. First of all, we can raise awareness about who and why there are hungry people in our province, but I think a far better solution would be to use France as a role model. Fairly recently, France has passed legislation which essentially forces grocery stores to donate to food banks any unsold food that is still edible, and I think this is something that is feasible to do here as well. While any new legislation requires time and money, this would be time well spent and expenses could be covered by fines charged against stores or businesses which don’t comply. In terms of logistics, France has left it up to the stores and foodbanks to determine by requiring them to sign contracts with one another regarding how and when food will be transported as well as any concerns which might come up. If a legislation like this could be put into place here in Ontario, the influx of food would mean food banks are far less likely to run out of food and far more likely to be able to provide food more frequently to those in need meaning that one of the biggest stressors in a food bank user’s life will be greatly reduced.

I’d like to hear what you think about this. The work you’ve done in the Kingston community so far has been great and it seems to me that this might be topic you would be interested in addressing. I’ve done research and shattered my own assumptions regarding food banks and their users, as well as the assumptions of friends, family, acquaintances and complete strangers. Enclosed is a list of those who agree with the above proposal, as collected from thepetitionsite.com. We believe that with the abundance of food available, no one in Ontario should ever go hungry.

I look forward to your response.

Regards,

Sonja Dietrich

BSc Hons Psychology, University of Toronto

SSW Candidate, St Lawrence College

Statistics were acquired from the Ontario Association of Food Banks and Food Banks Canada