Black Friday and Cyber Monday are all about buying at lower prices. For businesses, it’s about balancing the books and making room for the new by getting rid of the old. But for Ontario’s disabled and elderly citizens living on social supports, it’s about sourcing a meal, because that’s what they do. Every day.
In the year after the pandemic; 2021-22, the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) was supporting +500,000 beneficiaries, which is, on average, about one in 14 people under the age of 65. Despite disability rates already being inhumanely low, the crippled in public housing are still being charged a whopping $500 per month for rent, and that doesn’t include their hydro or laundry fees.
For Canadians in wheelchairs, after they pay their subsidized rent, they're left with an average of $850/month to spend on hydro (which is $50-$150/month, depending on the time of year it is), laundry, internet/phone, groceries, and anything else they need to survive.
This fact is disturbing to say the least.
It's disturbing because disabled and elderly Canadians living on social assistance don't have enough money to eat. Period.
The Community Combats Food Security Instead
This is when it's time for community to step in and to step up!
Fresh Food Weekly has joined the CanadaHelps’ global GivingTuesday campaign on this day of Tuesday, November 28th, 2023. Anyone, including companies, can provide practical support directly to low-income families in crisis this Christmas by donating a turkey dinner meal box to be delivered to a low-income family in Barrie or Innisfil on December 23rd and 24th.
That’s right! We’re doing our Christmas deliveries over the course of two days this year because we’re already planning to do at least 200 deliveries! This past Black Friday, Fresh Food Weekly received a $7K donation from Ventex-Alumavent, a louver and damper manufacturing company in Alliston, Ont. This unexpected donation means we get to do an additional 100 Christmas meal boxes this year! Woot woot!
Gift Your Meal Box
Sponsored meal boxes are $60 each and can also be gifted. Donations made in $60 increments through CanadaHelps today; Tuesday, Nov. 28th, 2023, will receive a mailed gift receipt in the form of a thoughtful Christmas card which includes a QR code linking to a voice note spoken by a current program recipient for each sponsored meal box.
To learn more about items in this year’s Christmas meal boxes, visit our Black Friday blog post.
Volunteer For Fresh Food Weekly’s Christmas Delivery Days
If you would like to volunteer for Fresh Food Weekly on one or both of their Christmas meal delivery days; Saturday, Dec. 23rd and Sunday, Dec. 24th (Christmas Eve), please fill out our Christmas Volunteer Signup Form.
Some of the volunteer positions we’re looking to fill include:
Pickup driver (Saturday, Dec. 23rd only)
Delivery driver
Picker/packer
Bagger
Loader
Manager
Thank you for considering to give back this GivingTuesday and by sponsoring a low-income family up north with a Christmas turkey dinner meal box this year through the Fresh Food Weekly food security program.
