It Takes a Village to Feed a Child

Written by Keisha Antoine, Intern, Pathway to Potential

Access to food is so vitally important that in 1976, Canada signed the United Nations Covenant on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights, which includes “the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger.” Despite this, according to Food Banks Canada’s report, HungerCount 2010, there are approximately 800,000 people in Canada who require the services of food banks in order to meet their dietary needs each month. The report further emphasized that each month, more than 80,000 people walk through the doors of a Canadian food bank for the first time. In a time of great economic hardship, these numbers are expected to increase. This begs the question, what can we do about it? What can be done to make sure women, men and children are properly fed? In other words what can or is being done to ensure food security?

Food security is on the minds of millions of Canadians who live in poverty. Ryerson University’s Centre for Studies in Food Security identifies key components of food security referred to at the five A’s. First, sufficient food should be available to all people at all times; second, everyone should have physical and economic access to food at all times; third, the available food should provide adequate nutrition as well as be safe for both the person and for the environment; fourth, all persons should have access to food that is culturally acceptable and is produced and obtained in ways that respects that person’s dignity, self-respect and human rights and; fifth, an agency should be established to develop and enforce policies and procedures so as to maximize food security.

In Windsor/Essex, there are number of collaborative initiatives to promote food security. Community members, community organizers, service providers, University of Windsor students and professors are all taking up the challenge of fighting hunger. Some of these initiatives include, but are not limited to:

Fighting hunger is a cooperative effort. Not only does it take a village to raise a child, it takes a village to feed her or him. The food security movement in Windsor/Essex is attempting to remedy the lack of availability of adequate, nutritious, affordable and acceptable food. The well-being of the most vulnerable members of the community is dependent upon the success of the movement.

Sources:

Centre for Studies in Food Security (2011). Food Security Defined. Retrieved from http://www.ryerson.ca/foodsecurity/definition/

City of Toronto (2001). Toronto’s Food Charter. Retrieved from http://www.toronto.ca/food_hunger/pdf/food_charter.pdf

Food Banks Canada (2010). HungerCount 2010. Retrieved from http://www.foodbankscanada.ca/documents/HungerCount2010_web.pdf