"Orillia City Council declared a household food insecurity emergency this week after recent data showed nearly a third of households in the region were struggling to afford groceries. About 30.7 per cent of households in Simcoe County, including Orillia, are facing food insecurity, according to data from the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. The motion, which passed on Monday, stated Orillia is "especially impacted" due to higher rates of poverty,"
"The need for food bank access "has more than doubled," said Orillia Coun. Janet-Lynne Durnford, who co-chairs the Orillia Food Access and Sustainability Working Group (OFASWG). It's an issue she's seen first-hand while donating to the community fridge project in Orillia, a city 32 kilometres east of Barrie. Durnford says people access food from the fridge, sometimes emptying it, as soon as it's refilled four times a day."
""Despite having a food bank there's just so much need," she said, adding the issue is affecting people from all walks of life. "I have family members who access the food bank regularly and I have a good friend who through circumstances is unemployed [and] is now accessing the food bank regularly." WATCH | Earlier this year, Kingston also declared a food insecurity emergency: Kingston, Ont., is the latest municipality in the province to declare a food insecurity emergency."
Orillia City Council declared a household food insecurity emergency after Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit data showed about 30.7 per cent of households in Simcoe County face food insecurity. The motion named Orillia as especially impacted by higher poverty rates and asked council to consider the declaration when making decisions on poverty reduction, community food support and local initiatives. Demand for food bank access has more than doubled, and community food programs like a frequently emptied community fridge are under heavy use. Residents from diverse backgrounds, including unemployed individuals and regular food bank users, increasingly rely on food supports. The declaration aims to influence municipal budget priorities and send a signal to provincial and federal governments to address the issue.
Read at www.cbc.ca
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