News Flash: Hard to Pay the Bills on Social Assitance
As if everyone on this site didn't already know this, but at least the Globe and Mail and the Stop Community Food Center are trying to educate the public:
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Living on a welfare diet
by Zosia Bielski
The hot dog rice “pilaf” was a highlight. Peanut butter on home-baked, unleavened crackers – not so much.
For one week, former Alliance Atlantis CEO and Samara charity co-founder Michael MacMillan subsisted on the offerings of a local food bank to experience how many Ontarians who live on social assistance eat when money runs out before the end of the month.
The high-profile challenge – Toronto medical officer of health David McKeown, city councillor Joe Mihevc, journalist Avi Lewis and his wife, author Naomi Klein, also participated – was part of The Stop Community Food Centre’s Do the Math campaign. The purpose: to show what it’s like to eat when most of your monthly cheque has gone for rent, transportation and clothing.
As his provisions started running out with four days left to go on Friday, Mr. MacMillan spoke with The Globe and Mail.
An excerpt from Mr. MacMillan's interview:
At the beginning, I thought this would be a neat game, and that because I’m a good cook I could stretch this stuff out and I could do well with it. My temper’s getting shorter and I’m just now annoyed. That’s my overall emotional state, and I hadn’t imagined that. It’s the cumulative impact. To put the time into making a meal that tastes so bland, and has not enough calories, is very different than what I’d normally put into a meal, with nice fresh fruits and vegetables.
I think that food is a human right. Water and air and food are essentials. They’re not nice-haves: they’re must-haves. If you don’t have each of those three, you die.
If we think it’s important to look after the most vulnerable in our society, and those who are down on their luck, we ought to give them enough. The purpose of welfare is not to hurt somebody, or kick them when they’re down. It’s to help them in order to get off welfare, and back into more productive, social, healthy and useful lives.
Read the complete article here.
8-) hope faith and courage 2010 and above !