Food insecurity hits new Canadians hard
Barakah Box food bank helps more than 400 families each month
Fadi arrived in Hamilton five months ago as a refugee, along with his family. He is one of more than 2,000 refugees who have settled in the city since December 2015, most coming from wartorn Syria. Although life in Hamilton provides safety, it comes with its own challenges. One of them is food insecurity.
A 2017 report suggests that a family of four living in Hamilton spends more than $700 per month on food. Unsurprisingly, over 17,000 people access the city’s food banks every month.
Unfortunately, food insecurity is a pressing challenge globally and makes up much of the work done by NGOs such as ours, Islamic Relief Canada. And though we work in over 40 countries around the world, we never lose sight of the work that needs to be done right here in Canada to ensure that everyone has access to safe, sufficient and nutritious food.
This is why Islamic Relief Canada has partnered with Mishka Social Services to support its food bank in Hamilton, known as Barakah Box. As of August 2018, more than 400 families in Hamilton use this food bank on a monthly basis to access food that is both halal (i.e., procured with Islamic dietary restrictions in mind) and healthy. More than half of these families have arrived in Canada in the past two years.
Barakah Box provides culturally sensitive, multilingual service that caters primarily to Muslims, but the food bank welcomes anyone who visits, regardless of their background. In a city where nearly onefifth of the population identifies as a visible minority (as of 2016), service that caters to particular backgrounds can be helpful for those trying to access the support they need.
Fadi would tell you that. He is learning English, and in the meantime he is able to communicate comfortably in Arabic every time he visits Barakah Box. He offers suggestions to the volunteers who run the food bank and offers to help at any point if needed. He has tried to access other food banks but does not find them as helpful.
Fadi relies on Barakah Box because his only source of income at the moment is the allowance provided for refugees by the federal government. This covers many of his family’s expenses, but the city’s high cost of living makes it a difficult amount to live on. Barakah Box also offers him and other newcomers a chance to meet others and make friends in the local Muslim community.
Islamic Relief Canada recognizes that food insecurity is a growing challenge in Canada, and one that impacts those affected in many ways, including their physical and mental health. Given this, and given Canada’s rich diversity, culturally sensitive food banks play a key role in working toward a sustainable level of food security for all Canadians.
Let us work together to ensure that no Canadian ever has to worry about where their next meal will come from or whether it will respect and reflect the diversity of our country.