Let's fight hunger in Halton

Living in Oakville, it is not always apparent how the other half lives. There is a great deal of homelessness and poverty in Ontario, though it seems relegated to the larger cities such as Toronto and Hamilton. There is of course poverty right here in our own backyard. 7-8% of people in Halton are living below the poverty line, meaning around 35,000 people are in need and have expressed some level of food insecurity. I recently went to an interfaith meeting to discuss different food programs in Oakville, particularly one called "Food for Life". Their goal is that no person should go to bed hungry while stores, restaurants and food suppliers throw out food into the garbage. Starting in 1995, they pick up food around town and then deliver it to certain sites where families and individuals can pick up care packages. They are looking for volunteers to help pick up food in the evening from stores, please let me know if you're interested in helping out.

Food for life is part of a bigger group, the "Halton Region Food Bank Network" which supports food progams of various degrees, including the Fareshare Food Bank to whom we deliver foods regularly, especially our impressive annual High Holiday food drive. This might be one of the areas we focus on for our annual Mitzvah Day which will take place on Sunday May 31st.

On a macro-level, fighting poverty by supporting a food bank is a small step compared to what our Ontario Legislature can achieve to reduce poverty. In this vein, looking to the passing of the Ontario Budget at the end of March the Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition has been having a daily vigil at Queens Park to pray for a budget that fights poverty for the most needy in Ontario. This can have a much larger impact in terms of dollars and I would like our community to participate in the vigil. Let's gather in the morning of March 23rd at Queen's Park to do our part for those less fortunate, as it says in our Tanach, we are taught to leave the corners of our fields and the gleanings of our harvest to the poor (Leviticus 19:9), and to open our hands and lend to people whatever it is they need (Deuteronomy 7-11). We learn that helping fellow human beings in need, tzedakah, is not simply a matter of charity, but of responsibility, righteousness, and justice. Moreover we are not merely commanded to give to the poor, but to advocate on their behalf. We are told in Proverbs 31:9, to "speak up, judge righteously, champion the poor and the needy." Please read Rabbi Dow Marmur's article from the Star on this subject. http://www.thestar.com/article/598084
Let's do our part to fight poverty and hunger here in Oakville and across our Province.