Celebrating
20
years of service

London, Ontario | www.londonfoodbank.net | londonfb at web.net

Revenue Canada charitable registration BN: 13620 3205 RR0001

The faces of hunger

Few people ever expect to find themselves at a food bank. Here are some sketches to give you a feeling for the people who come to the London Food Bank. (Names have been changed to protect privacy.)

Heidi

Heidi is a single mom, living in east London. With two kids in school and a three-year-old, her days are full. Attempting to take night classes while her neighbor babysits, she hopes to upgrade her skills and work in an office somewhere when her youngest child reaches full-time school age. She pays slightly over $600 a month for rent, leaving her little to see her over for the rest of the month. Heidi receives extra money from the federal government's child tax credit, only to have the exact same amount deducted from her family benefits allowance by the province -- she's no further ahead.

Sasha

Sasha recently immigrated from the war-torn region of Bosnia and is presently taking English as Second Language studies. He has an engineering degree which isn't recognized in Canada. The best job he has been able to obtain so far is as a part-time cleaning and maintenance person in a London office building. Support for his family, though topped up by the government, still leaves him precious little at the end of each month. He came last month to the food bank for the first time, spending some time that day volunteering in our warehouse. "I want to pay back," he says, "some of the generosity that was shown to my family."

Jim and Charlene

Downsizing has left Jim and Charlene with only one income and Jim visiting numerous places in the city looking for employment. His Employment Insurance hasn't begun yet, so he is left to struggle. Jim once assisted in food drives for the food bank at his company before he was let go. "I'm now seeing the food bank from the other side," he says, "I realize how vital it is to have such an agency in our community. I never thought I would be in this position, but here I am."

Dennis

Dennis is like every other kid. He loves baseball, spending time with friends and family. But he's falling behind in school, and his teachers notice he's having trouble paying attention because he doesn't have a good start in the morning. Dennis gets our help through a special breakfast program. His mother is a single mom, and while she works two part-time jobs, she still finds it hard to provide breakfast for him every morning. The London Food Bank assists hundreds of kids like Dennis every day, by supplying free food to school breakfast programs.

Ted and Elsie

Ted and Elsie are retired on a fixed pension. They have spent the last few years watching their ability to stay ahead slip away. They never thought they would be in this predicament. After a lifetime of contributing to Canadian society, they now face the embarrassment of asking for help. Ted and Elsie came for food only twice last year, but they are part of the fastest growing group of food bank users across Ontario.

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