Research round-up: food insecurity and how food banks help
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Karen Hamilton
July 25, 2009
Many of you have a general idea of what a food bank does. My original presumptions were based on the food drives I had contributed to in my life: you pass on non-perishables like peanut butter, Kraft dinner, and other canned foodstuffs that were collecting dust in your own pantry and give it to the Food Bank for someone that might actually eat it.
Today, food banks do way more than that. They operate community kitchens, buy fresh produce, eggs, and dairy from local providers, and even run programs to teach the disadvantaged very useful cooking basics. Think Jamie Oliver’s social change initiatives minus all the TV cams and celebrity stunts.
The Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society also provides a collection of resources on the global problem of food insecurity for those that wish to know the current social landscape and a food bank’s impact. Here they are for your perusal.
Hunger Count 2008 (PDF Report)
Initiated in 1989, this Food Banks Canada report is the only national survey of emergency food programs in Canada.
The Cost of Eating in BC (website access to PDF Report)
A report from the Dieticians of Canada contends that some groups within our population are denied the right to safe and nutritious food due to limited financial resources.
Child Food Insecurity: The Economic Impact On Our Nation (PDF Report)
A report from Feeding America on research on the impact of food insecurity and hunger on child health, growth and development, details the economic effect of child hunger in the United States.
Understanding the Link Between Welfare Policy and the Use of Food Banks (PDF Report)
This report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives attempts “to provide a better understanding of who uses food banks in Canada and of how food bank use relates to changes in government welfare policy”.
Access to Affordable, Healthy and Nutritious Food (website)
This Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada position paper sets out the facts and makes recommendations to Canadians, governments, and researchers on actions to take to relieve food insecurity.
Will you support the programs and services of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society?
Now that you’ve had the chance to scan these papers, perhaps you have a better appreciation for what food banks do. If so, we would love it if you’d show your appreciation by donating today.
Categories: Blogathon 2009, Blogging for Social Change, Books and Such, Events, Food, Food Purveyors
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