Food bank targets freshly laid off

CARLY WEEKS
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail, Thursday, May. 21, 2009

Forget French fries. Make a low-cost salad instead.

Tough economic times have prompted one major Canadian food bank to ramp up efforts to appeal to families who may never have used a food bank, but now find themselves struggling to afford nutritious meals.

As the downturn deepens, food prices have remained stable, and even risen in some cases. As a result, many nutrition and public-health experts fear that more families will be forced to turn to convenience foods, which are often less expensive than fresh produce and other whole foods.

In response, Moisson Montréal, organizers of the city's non-profit Good Food Box, has started targeting people who have been hit by the recession to provide them with access to inexpensive fruits and vegetables.

Last month, the program made a public appeal for individuals and families who are cash-strapped as a result of the recession to use their services. It also recruited Quebec comedian Laurent Paquin to act as a spokesman and raise awareness of its efforts throughout the community.

"The consequence [of the recession] is people don't have the money," said Zakary Rhissa, director of community affairs at Moisson Montréal.

He said the food bank launched the appeal after fielding hundreds of new requests for food boxes in the past few months. In October, the organization was delivering about 600 boxes a month. Now, that number has jumped to more than 1,200. The program is to expand to Laval in coming months.

The Good Food Box program operates by purchasing fruits and vegetables, primarily from local or regionally based farmers, and selling them to those in need at affordable prices. Various food-box programs are dotted across the country and are usually operated by food banks and other charitable organizations.

Anyone is eligible to use the Montreal program, and recipients can choose a small, medium or large box containing a variety of fruits and vegetables for $7, $10 and $16, respectively. A pamphlet distributed by Moisson Montréal says a large box would typically contain three pounds of apples, one pound of prunes, 1.5 pounds of bananas, five pears, two pounds of carrots, two green peppers, five pounds of potatoes, two pounds of onions, three pounds of tomatoes, one head of broccoli, one head of lettuce, two cucumbers, three zucchinis, one squash and one bunch of celery.

Participants receive a box every two weeks, picking it up from drop-off points in their neighbourhoods.

Montreal isn't the only city experiencing a surge in demand for such programs. In Toronto, a growing number of consumers have been taking advantage of the city's Good Food Box program, and organizers say this is due in part to the sagging economy.

To help those who have lost their jobs, organizers have proposed working with labour unions to subsidize food boxes for the recently laid off.

As more people are affected by the economic downturn, it's important to examine "a variety of these creative solutions to help recently unemployed people," said Debbie Field, executive director of FoodShare, which runs Toronto's Good Food Box program.

It is hoped that such efforts will help families establish or maintain nutritious eating habits, said Sosan Hua, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator in Toronto.

"I think a lot of people don't know the benefit of the Good Food Box," she said. "I think governments really need to take a look at this."