Day Two: As I'm on a journey, of sorts, I'll just follow where this inevitably winding & bumpy road might lead. Today the road seems to be leading me to the intersection of Poverty & Children.
In 1994 the Canadian Government pledged to end child poverty by 2000. Today, 12% of Canadian children still live in poverty- that's 1 in 9- more than 1,000,000 Canadian kids! (source: Canadian Children's Rights Council) That fact astounds me! When I think of how I live (a family of 4, making sacrifices to get by on one income) we still have "enough". When I look at our average-sized closets packed to the brim, our mudroom overflowing with multiple shoes & jackets, hats & mitts for each member of the family, I know we live comfortably.
Although my children are smaller than average (we got 3 years out of one winter jacket between the two girls), we still have piles of children's clothing that is in really good condition. I was really happy to find out about the Oak Avenue Clothes Closet. The Clothes Closet offers FREE clothes for children from infancy to age 12! Did I mention that the clothes are given to children for FREE? What an amazing gift to those families! The Clothes Closet is located in North Surrey. www.oanh.ca/clothescloset.html
If you know of other free "clothes closet" programs please leave your comments!
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Day 1: Tiny Bundles @ the Surrey Food Bank
Day One...where do I start? For novelists the advice is always, 'write about what you know'. At this point in my life my little girls are my biggest inspiration. This morning, as I observed my younger daughter tip up her bright yellow cereal bowl enveloping her nose, mouth and half her face to lick up what remained of her "goaty-meal" (our nickname for oatmeal), I was struck with a sense of gratitude. Gratitude for the means to provide healthy food, even the occasional stop for fast food or a "special treat". Not only are we able to feed our children, we are fortunate enough to have diapers, new clothes (thanks grandparents & family!), books galore, toys, the opportunity to go to preschool, Parks and Rec programs... and the list goes on spelling out how "rich" we are when I consider that children around the world and right here, in my community, go hungry on a regular basis.
Today I would like to focus on the amazing work of local Food Banks. A search of "Food Banks" brings up a whopping 11,000,000 hits! The stats across the board say that 51% of their users are families with children. Food Banks go above and beyond supplying food, some have a preschool storytime, a literacy program, and most provide special programs to ensure that families with kids get a supplemental supply of nutrious food each week.
This past summer, as the outreach coordinator for our VBS, we focused on the "Tiny Bundles" program at the Surrey Food Ban
k. http://surreyfoodbank.org/ A few of us took a tour to see first hand how it works. Each week, approximately 120 families with babies come to the Tiny Bundles program. Families are given extra fruit and veggies, dairy products (nursing moms are given extra eggs & milk), formula, and a freebie (extra diapers, a bib, sippy cup, toddler toothbrush/toothpaste, whatever they can get through 
donations). The staff are 
incredible at trying to help the 
families- they've even organized a gift layette for new babies (an outfit, jammies, bottle, blanket, often items lovingly knit by folks in the community). When the babies have their 1st birthday the families are given a "graduation gift"- new outfit, toothbrush/toothpaste, etc. Many families don't have a car which makes it difficult to get their food home. So, the Food Bank, offers a "handy cart". Amazing as it is, the Food Bank- like the people it helps- struggles to make ends meet. Their warehouse appears well-stocked but they say it would only last about 20 days if item and monetary donations ceased.
k. http://surreyfoodbank.org/ A few of us took a tour to see first hand how it works. Each week, approximately 120 families with babies come to the Tiny Bundles program. Families are given extra fruit and veggies, dairy products (nursing moms are given extra eggs & milk), formula, and a freebie (extra diapers, a bib, sippy cup, toddler toothbrush/toothpaste, whatever they can get through 
donations). The staff are 
incredible at trying to help the 
families- they've even organized a gift layette for new babies (an outfit, jammies, bottle, blanket, often items lovingly knit by folks in the community). When the babies have their 1st birthday the families are given a "graduation gift"- new outfit, toothbrush/toothpaste, etc. Many families don't have a car which makes it difficult to get their food home. So, the Food Bank, offers a "handy cart". Amazing as it is, the Food Bank- like the people it helps- struggles to make ends meet. Their warehouse appears well-stocked but they say it would only last about 20 days if item and monetary donations ceased.What kindess and dignity the staff and volunteers show. We can only imagine the difference they make in the lives of children and how that will impact those children in the longterm!
(*the pictures are a few of my own that I took on my tour last spring)
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